Mar 19 (newsonjapan.com) - Betting is amongst the most popular recreational activities in the world and is enjoyed in most countries. Despite this, gambling has remained elusive in Japan as the country has been generally cool to the concept of betting.
However, changes are happening in Japan and online casinos are driving an increasing love of betting.
While there are traditional casinos in Japan, they have not been embraced in the same way they were in Europe and the United States. Online casinos are different, and this area of the market is appealing directly to the Japanese love of colorful entertainment and gaming. People in the country are heading to venues like nihonlinecasino.com and falling in love with casino games and online slots.
It's been a rocky road for Japan to fully accept betting as a form of entertainment. Certainly, red-tape regulations have often blocked the expansion of gambling, but opinions appear to be changing. Bricks and mortar casinos have been legal in Japan for around 2 years in a limited capacity, but online casinos were not included in this initial acceptance.
That said, online casinos have always been widely available in Japan, with one important caveat. Local law does not allow online casinos that are hosted in Japan. There has been no regulatory block to stop Japanese consumers accessing online casinos held outside the country, such as those in Europe.
Steps Towards Legalization
In recent years, the political establishment in Japan has started to relax its stance on gambling. The country always took a conservative but also contradictory approach to betting. Japan banned casinos because governments classed casino games as ones of chance. At the same time, so-called "skill games" like horse racing and lotteries were legalized.
A pro-casino legislation was tabled and approved in July 2018 that will allow bricks and mortar casinos to be developed. However, a bidding process for casino companies to enter specific cities is still underway and no locations are open at the time of writing. It is worth pointing out online casinos were not included in the legislation.
Dubbed the Casino Bill, the legislation clears the way for the casino industry to grow organically within Japan. Interestingly, if it was top open to gambling, Japan would instantly become the third-largest betting market in the world.
Again, this does not mean online casinos have been taken out of the equation entirely. While it is illegal for companies to operate online gambling sites in Japan, individuals are free to play at offshore online sites. This situation is unlikely to change because the government can't control where people play.
As in any other country, online casinos are popular in Japan as a form of recreation. Available on PC and smartphones, these casinos provide quick access to betting games. Japanese players can play offshore online casinos with all the perks any other person can. It is hoped in the coming years that the country's increasingly liberal approach to gambling will allow native Japanese online casinos to open and become legally available.
