Feb 27 (News On Japan) - Card games have been a recreational pastime across multiple civilizations and time periods, meaning that most countries will have a favorite.
Poker has often been viewed as a Western pursuit, especially since it has been pushed online. Over time, the best US poker sites have made a real push to find a market in every country, but does Japan have the appetite for it?
Resistance to new gambling methods
Gambling and Japanese culture are not the most common bedfellows. Socially outlawed for many years, gambling has often been seen as an activity not belonging to Japanese people due to its nefarious and dangerous undertones.
Of course, Japanese society has permitted Pachinko to be a small-stakes game and a common pastime for older people. This is because Pachinko is a Japanese concept, making it much more digestible for the domestic market.
Video games could lead the way for poker.
Most video games and video game consoles originated in Japan. Visitors to the country will see streets decorated with Pac-Man and Pokemon décor and some areas housing multiple arcade venues. Japan still has a massive gaming industry that borders on addiction.
After all, the Japanese population is drastically aging. Young people don’t want to raise a family; they want to play PlayStation instead. Of course, that’s a sweeping generalization, but the sentiment has some truth.
Can poker lean into this massive video game industry and take steps to turn gamers into gamblers? Making poker a video game experience could bring more players to poker platforms. Whether making poker more user-friendly or reducing the sakes, this seems like an ideal gateway for prospective players.
Every societal breakthrough relies on something to make the taboo topic appear mainstream and normalized, so if video games can do that with poker then perhaps the best US poker sites will start to be accepted.
Young Japanese generations are already exposed to poker.
Younger Japanese people will already be aware of poker through the almighty mediums of anime and manga. These entertainment forms are seemingly never waning in popularity as they continue to appeal to new Japanese audiences. They have multiple themes and narratives; some centered on poker. Kakegurui, Death Parade, Great Pretender, and High Card are heavily poked-based. This means that younger generations of Japanese people are already familiar with poker mechanics and could become poker players.
Japanese language options can be challenging to procure
While many Japanese people understand conversational English, they prefer to do business in their native tongue, especially concerning money. This becomes a huge barrier to entry for many international sites, as they may not have existing Japanese language resources – acquiring them can be costly and time-consuming to integrate. Of course, this language only unlocks one marketplace, making Japanese less desirable than Spanish-speaking markets, which can be catered for with one universal tongue.
Sites need to offer Japanese Yen payment options.
Many poker sites that operate in far-flung destinations operate in US dollars. While some countries respect the American currency, their local funds might not be firm…Japanese people do not like to deviate from using their currency. The Japanese yen is sacred; if poker sites and any online platform want to operate a business successfully in Japan, they must design their UX to work with the Japanese yen.
Banking methods may be complicated to overcome
Japanese banks are pretty tricky to work with, primarily through the eyes of a foreigner. Banks do not readily issue cards with payment means, i.e. chip and pin, contactless payments, and online card payments aren’t default settings. The equivalent of a direct debit or card payment is done with the bank's permission. Some of them have already become belligerent in their stance to prevent users from gambling by not authorizing related transactions.
While newer firms and some accounts are becoming more flexible, using cash is etched into Japanese society, like the love of sushi, sake, and the spring flowers. Even if some financial firms allow users to gamble, people might not want to do so online. There are PayPal and other e-wallet options, but many of these firms are not popular in Japan for similar reasons listed.
Perception of live gambling evokes fear.
One of the pillars of Japanese life is safety and security. This means avoiding conflict and chaos. There is a section of Japanese society called the Yakuza, who are seen as criminals and gangsters in the country's underworld. The general public wants nothing to do with them and would like to avoid them at all costs.
A common perception of the Yakuza is that they are the ones who operate gambling venues and games. Illicit mahjong halls, rigged poker tables, and seedy karaoke clubs – that sort of caper. As such, casinos and any form of gambling venue are often blocked by default from the average person in Japan, as they do not wish to become embroiled with the Yakuza.
