Jun 18 (News On Japan) - Over history, the casino industry has been through an interesting journey and has appeared in many different guises.
In saloons in the Wild West, casino games like poker or blackjack would be played on the tables over drinks with not just money, but items and possessions wagered. As society evolved, casino play became housed in brick-and-mortar establishments built solely for the purpose of casino. With all the noise and cheers brought under one roof, the casino industry took off and found its place in society.
In the present day, we have the latest form of casino, a form that can be reached from nearly anywhere in the world and is fast, efficient, and just as entertaining. Online casino fever is starting to sweep across the globe with more influence and more access. The effect can be seen all the way from Melbourne, to Rio de Janeiro, to London, to Tokyo. The digital revolution has provided a springboard for online casinos to spread their virtual wings and more people and markets are starting to invest more effort to provide secure frameworks for online casino play to thrive in.
Foreign casinos forcing governments into action
Despite being one of the countries where gambling is most popular, it is not actually legal for a company to open an online casino in Japan. For many people who have had the pleasure of visiting Japan, this regulation might seem a bit odd, since pachinko is such a popular pastime in Japan.
However, the tide and opinion on the legal status of online casino in Japan seems to be turning, mainly due to the fact that millions of Japanese people are already taking advantage of foreign online casinos and their games, like those available at Cloudbet. While the Japanese government are largely powerless to prevent people from accessing foreign online casinos, one of their main concerns is the potential revenue lost from not having a legal framework for casino play on their own shores.
In a quite astonishing way, the mere presence of online casinos is forcing the hands of many governments around the world that have a sterner view of casino action. The rising popularity of online casino is clear for all to see, and the revenue numbers posted by countries where gambling is popular, such as America, United Kingdom, and Australia, are on the rise year after year.
The solution: tourist resorts
So, what does the Japanese government do? It does not want to do away with their strict stance completely, but it also cannot police the millions of people playing on foreign online casino platforms. The solution for the lawmakers could lie in resorts. A potential way for the Japanese government to find a happy medium is to legalize casino play in newly built tourist resorts, with a setup that could mirror the hotel complexes in Macao. It remains to be seen what the next steps are in Japan’s journey with casino play, but the impact of the online casino industry has given them a big decision to make.
