Local affiliates first casualties of Japan gambling ad crackdown
Stephen
Carter
Head of content
Two Japanese nationals running a casino affiliate site have become the first arrests under a new law banning gambling ads which came into force on 25 September.
Osaka-based 40-year-old company exec Hisato Yonezawa has with another unnamed defendant been accused of receiving commission from ¥70m (€403k) of cryptocurrency wagered by 670 players at a Curacao-licensed online casino over an approximate four-year period.
The business’ Discord marketing campaign based around the group chat “Onkaji Hissho Club” pulled in around 300 members, reported The Japan News.
In addition to being arrested on suspicion of running a website promoting an overseas-based online casino, the defendants have been accused of facilitating illegal gambling and abetting habitual gambling.
Stockholm-listed affiliate Raketech announced its exit from Japan on 24 September just hours ahead of the ban coming into effect, citing regulatory risks as a principal driver for disposing of its underperforming Casumba assets for €12 million.
The Japanese government ratcheted up its crackdown this year after a March 2025 survey by the country's National Police Agency found that 60% of those wagering at offshore casinos reported addictive symptoms. Subsequent actions included requests to eight overseas licensing juridictions to block Japanese users and investigating several celebrities for illegal gambling.
Photo by Tim Mossholder via Pexels