Country: Japan

Sadly, there are no legal online casinos operating from inside Japan. However, Japanese players can legally gamble at offshore casino sites outside the country. Many of these sites accept players from Japan. The Japanese government has outlawed all online gambling except for state-run lottery, pari-mutuel horse betting, and mahjong. However, playing at offshore online casinos is legal in Japan.

It is, but only at a few licensed Japanese gambling websites. In fact, sports betting in Japan has been legal since 1907 - at that time, a law was passed legalizing horse and bicycle race betting with motorboat and motorcycle betting added later. Today, this same law has not been changed, making it one of the oldest gambling laws in the world.

Overall, most forms of gambling are banned in Japan under Article 185 of the national Penal Code. That includes land-based casino gambling. Historically, Japan has not been friendly to casinos. However, a recent law has changed this completely. In 2018, Japanese lawmakers approved a bill to legalize casinos across the country. However, this law only allows casinos to operate in specific resort locations.

Pachinko is a popular Japanese game that’s similar to pinball. You’ll find many pachinko halls across Japan, but it’s not legal to play the game for money. The Japanese government does not regulate pachinko, but it does keep a watchful eye out for illegal pachinko activities. Today, pachinko is the most popular game in Japan for players of all kinds.

Legally, this is the only real way to play casino games online in Japan. There are plenty of offshore online casinos that accept Japanese players and accept Yen as a currency. Under current laws, the Japanese government does not appear to care if citizens gamble outside of the country. However, you must still be at least 18 years old to play at offshore casinos.