Top-rated Live gambling sites in Japan

Technically, the law does not allow any online gambling, therefore there are no operators in Japan currently. However, Japanese players love to gamble and engage in online gambling. They find ways to gamble at international live casinos that are free to accept players from Japan. With many operating in the Japanese language and currency. No individuals can be prosecuted or criminally charged for playing at them. Japenese players need to keep in mind that they need to find a reputable and licensed site. Read more about top live casinos in Japan, history, future and much more.

Top-rated Live gambling sites in Japan
Nathan Williams
Written byNathan WilliamsWriter
Researched byRajesh NairResearcher
Localised byEthan LimLocaliser
About Japan

About Japan

Japan is a country in the northwest Pacific Ocean, so it is an island one. It borders the Sea of Japan, Sea of Okhotsk, East China Sea, and Taiwan. Japan has an archipelago of 6852 islands, and they cover a total area of 377,975 square kilometers. The main islands are Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, and Okinawa. The largest city and the capital of Japan is Tokyo, but there are many other major cities in the country, like Yokohama, Osaka, Kobe, Nagoya, and so on.

Japan is a great world power, and it is a member of many international organizations that include the UN, the OECD, as well as the Group of Seven. Japan also has one of the strongest and biggest militaries in the world. After World War II, Japan had a surge in its economy, and it became the second-largest one in the 90s.

At the moment, they have the third-largest economy measured by nominal GD, and the fourth-largest by PPP. Japan is a global leader in the automotive, as well as the electronic industries, and they rank highly on the Human Development Index, and it has the world’s highest life expectancies. Japan has had a major impact around the world with its art, music, cuisine, and so on.

About Japan
Live Casinos in Japan

Live Casinos in Japan

Gambling, in general, has been an integral part of Japanese culture for centuries, and nowadays it has not changed. The Japanese love to gamble, and one of their most favorite forms of gambling is the Pachinko parlors, but as the technology advances, they are keener to start placing wagers on live casino games.

Technically, the law does not allow any online gambling, so there are no operators currently in Japan offering live casino games to its citizens. However, there are many offshore live casinos that are free to accept players from Japan, and individuals cannot be prosecuted or criminally charged for playing at them.

As long as they find a site that is reputable and licensed in one of the world’s relevant jurisdictions, the players are safe to make deposits and withdrawals, as well as play thousands of live casino games. The government of Japan tries to blacklist these sites, but there is little success so far, as this is a sector that is very difficult to control.

Many of these live casinos are looking to attract as many Japanese players as possible, as the market in the country, and the interest in online gambling grows every day, so players are spoiled when it comes to the choice of live casinos they have, and they can look forward to various bonuses and promotions coming their way.

So, any new player from Japan can feel safe while searching for their favorite offshore live casino, as they won't be subject to prosecution, even though technically, online gambling in the country is considered to be illegal.

History of Gambling in Japan

Japan has a long history when it comes to gambling, just as is the case with its culture and tradition. Gambling is one of the aspects that is embedded in the tradition of the country, and the gambling records of Japan can be found as early as the 7th century. In some historical writings, it is said that the emperor Temmu used to play sugo-roku, which is a game similar to today’s backgammon. His successor, however, banned this game very shortly after getting the throne.

But, in the middle ages, the rise of gambling popularity has been exponential across the territory of Japan. The citizens used to place bets on anything they could, and that trend continued throughout the next period.

The gambling addiction was so bad that during the 1600s and 1700s people that had low and poor social standings would even be charged with the death penalty if they were caught gambling. However, these restrictions were not that effective, and the government passed a bill shortly after that categorized gambling into two types: light and big betting. This meant that only the big bettors would face prosecution.

In the 20th century, Japan started to open itself up to the world, which meant that the rise of other games rather than the standard Japanese was inevitable. Nowadays, land-based gambling in the country is legal, whereas the online forms of it remain unregulated, therefore considered to be also illegal.

Japanese love gambling, especially as technology advances and they have the chance to place their wagers online. This has led to a surge of foreign live casinos that look to attract players from the country, and the Japanese are free to play their favorite live games without fearing any repercussions from the government for doing so.

Gambling Nowadays in Japan

Gambling in Japan has been illegal for a long time, but one step towards full legalization of it is the bill that was passed in 2016, which legalized land-based gambling in the country. However, not everyone will be able to apply for a japan casino license, as there 3 areas are designated to have casino facilities in them. The casinos will also be able to hold hotels, restaurants, and shopping malls.

When it comes to online gambling, the market can be considered grey. There is no regulation in place that allows it, so technically it is considered to be an illegal activity. However, nothing stops foreign live casinos from offering their services to Japanese citizens. Japanese gladly access these sites, as there are no penalties in place for them doing so.

Future of Online Casino in Japan

Evidently, Japan is not the dreamland for gamblers. The regulation that covers the gambling activities in the country is very strict and there are only a few designated areas in Japan where land-based gambling is allowed.

When it comes to online gambling, it is not specifically allowed, nor forbidden, but there is no licensed online casino in the country, so it is considered to be illegal. Players from Japan do not have the possibility to play slots, poker, or roulette at any local online casino. Nevertheless, there are countless offshore online gambling sites that are happy to accept players from Japan, as the government does not have an effective system in place to block or blacklist them.

This represents a problem for the Japanese government as they do not have control over the gambling activities of its citizens, and players themselves can be subject to scams. There are many fraudulent sites that are looking to exploit the unregulated market in Japan, and in case of fraud, punters have no authority to turn to.

This is why there is pressure on the Japanese government to legalize online gambling, as it will open up possibilities for employment of more people, and the government is the one that will have total control over the online gambling sector, so it will be a major contributor to the Japanese economy.

All in all, it can be expected that there will be some movement in the right direction in the near future when online gambling is in question, as the first step of total liberalization is already made – land-based gambling is legal now in Japan.

Are Casinos Legal in Japan?

Until recently, the only legal types of gambling in Japan were a lottery, sports, and scratch cards. All other types of gambling were prohibited, and there were strict penalties for breaking the law, which could even see a person jailed for up to 3 years.

However, that situation changed in 2016, when land-based gambling was allowed in the country. Although land-based casinos are allowed in only 3 regions of the country, it is evidently a step forward in the right direction. This sector is expected to grow in the future, as the benefits of having a legal gambling industry will be there to be seen by the Japanese government.

When it comes to online gambling, the situation is a bit more complicated. No law prohibits live casinos, but it is considered to be an illegal activity. However, nothing stops Japanese punters to access international live casinos, as there is not a case yet where an individual was prosecuted for gambling at one of these sites.

The government has a system in place to combat these sites from entering the Japanese market, but they have had little success so far. Recently, they forbid the banks to allow transactions to these sites, but players still have tons of choices when it comes to making deposits and withdrawals (e-Wallets, cryptocurrencies, etc.).

Punters in Japan heavily engage in online gambling, so it is no surprise that they have found a way around the government’s restrictions and they still place wagers on their favorite foreign live casinos. There is a good number of those that are available in the Japanese language, and they offer the Japanese yen as a currency as well.

Live Casinos in Japan
Regulation Laws and Authorities

Regulation Laws and Authorities

For many years, all types of gambling in Japan were prohibited, and citizens had no choice when it can to land-based gambling especially. Strict punishments were in place in accordance with the Penal Code.

However, this all changed in 2016, when the Integrated Resort Promotion Law and the Integrated Resort Implementation law were brought forward. According to these statutes, all gaming activities are allowed in the country in a land-based form. There are 3 areas in Japan that are designated to accept the opening of land-based establishments, and each of them can have one active operator.

The authorization to open such a facility comes from the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport. Licenses will be granted only to operators that can open the casino in the designated areas. A stand-alone casino operator will not be able to get a license to operate in the country.

Meanwhile, online gambling remains an illegal activity in the territory of Japan. There are no active live casinos operating in the country, and there is no way for such to obtain a license. The government tries to stop offshore sites from offering services to Japanese people, but they have made little progress so far.

Banks are not allowed to authorize transactions via credit/debit cards to offshore sites, but online gambling remains a popular activity among Japanese punters. They use other payment methods to make deposits and withdrawals, and they do not face any charges if they are caught playing in a foreign live casino.

Regulation Laws and Authorities
Top Live Games in Japan

Top Live Games in Japan

Japanese players don’t just love to gamble online, they have found a new favorite type of game – live games. Online gambling is illegal in Japan, so the punters do not have the luxury of choosing some domestic live casinos to play their games, but they have more than enough sites that they can gamble on.

There are some games that are more popular than others, and they include:

  • Live poker
  • Live roulette
  • Live baccarat
  • Live slots

These are games that are very easy to play and to understand, and the standard versions of them have been around for a long time, so it is no wonder that players love the live versions of them nowadays.

Live poker and live blackjack are usually the most played games, as is the case in many countries worldwide. They have many versions, and they have simple rules, so any player can find something for their preference.

Other Casino Games

Throughout the history of gambling in Japan, there were many games that have been popular among the citizens, and some of them have endured the test of time, and remain widely played to this day. The most popular one is Pachinko, which is not exactly a gambling game, but sort of a venue for entertainment. There are more than 12,000 Pachinko parlors in the country at the moment.

Apart from this, Japanese players love the online versions of some of the most popular games throughout history. They can enjoy a wide variety of games, such as blackjack, roulette, poker, and slots. Slots in particular are very popular, as they come in different versions, themes, graphics, and gameplay, so every player will have a favorite one. The winnings made by playing slots can be pretty handsome too.

Top Live Games in Japan
Top Game Providers

Top Game Providers

Online gambling is not legal in Japan, so players are forced to try their luck at offshore gambling sites. These sites need to be almost perfect in order to attract the players, and the first step in doing so is by having the best quality and quantity of games at disposal.

For this reason, they need to partner with the leading game providers in the market, and the best live casinos licensed in the relevant jurisdictions have made sure to do so. Players from a casino in Japan can enjoy games from providers such as:

  • NetEnt
  • Microgaming
  • Yggdrasil
  • Pragmatic Play
  • Evolution Gaming

Every casino that partners with these providers will have thousands of the most popular games to offer to their players.

Top Game Providers
Payment Methods in Japan

Payment Methods in Japan

The government of Japan tries to stop the foreign sites from accessing their players, and they have instructed banks in the country to not allow transactions via the players’ credit/debit cards to any offshore live casino.

However, luckily for Japanese gamblers, there are tons of payment options still available to them, and they gladly use them. The most popular ones would be the e-Wallets, such as:

  • PayPal
  • Skrill
  • Neteller

They are accepted in almost every reputable live casino, and they have pretty fast deposit and withdrawal rates. There are some minimal fees that they can charge when making a withdrawal, but those fees are usually very low.

Other Less Popular Payment Methods in Japan

Players want to have instant access to their winnings, and that is why they prefer to use certain payment methods more than others. E-Wallets provide them with such advantages, so they are widely used among Japanese gamblers.

Some other payment methods, like the prepaid vouchers, are very slow in processing a withdrawal request, and although they are very safe, the players tend to avoid them. Another trend in online gambling is doing it with a cryptocurrency, but it is yet to gain ground in Japan, as players still don't trust it completely.

Payment Methods in Japan
**Live Casinos Accepting Japanese Yen in Japan**

Live Casinos Accepting Japanese Yen in Japan

Japan's gaming culture has evolved over the years, with Pachinko parlours being at the forefront of the industry. However, the country is now experiencing an upward trend in modern, state-of-the-art live casino sites that provide a gaming experience that aligns with Japanese values. These platforms proudly accept the Japanese Yen, making it convenient for local players to engage in gaming activities.

If you're looking for reliable live casino sites in Japan that prioritize the Yen, CasinoRank's toplist is your go-to resource. You'll have access to the best and most trustworthy gaming experiences that offer a blend of both traditional and innovative gameplay.

While Japan's gaming culture is rich in history, it also embraces modernity and the future. It's essential to play responsibly and enjoy the experience without compromising on your safety.

With Japan's growing gaming industry, there's no better time to explore the country's gaming culture and indulge in a memorable gaming experience.

**Live Casinos Accepting Japanese Yen in Japan**
About the author
Nathan Williams
Nathan Williams

Nathan "KiwiKing" Williams brings a touch of Kiwi flair to the global live casino arena. Blending his analytical mind with an infectious passion for the game, he crafts content that guides, informs, and entertains.

Send mail
More posts by Nathan Williams

Latest news

First crypto CFD in Japan
2020-11-15

First crypto CFD in Japan

Monex Securities, which is a huge online security in Japan, has recently released the first cryptocurrency contract-for-difference (CFD) in this country. Japan is definitely adopting cryptocurrencies, and CFDs will play a huge role in this type of economy, especially because there has been a big spike in crypto trading.

FAQ

Everything you need to know about casinos

Are live casinos legal in Japan?

No, live casinos are not legal in Japan at the moment, so gamblers have to play their favorite games at offshore sites that accept players from Japan.

Are foreign live casinos safe?

When searching for a casino to register on, the players need to check whether it has a license from the relevant jurisdictional bodies, such as MGA. If the site does not contain that information, that it is not a safe one to use.

Are land-based casinos legal in Japan?

Yes, land-based casinos have been legal in the country since 2016.

What is the legal gambling age in Japan?

Players need to be at least 20 years old to be able to gamble in Japan.

Can games be played for free at offshore live casinos?

Yes, almost all of the games can be played on demo mode. It is a good way to get to know the rules before deciding to wager real money.

Do live casinos accept the Japanese yen as a currency?

Yes, there are many live casinos that accept the yen as a currency, and also those sites will often be available in Japanese.

Are welcome bonuses available at live casinos that accept players from Japan?

Absolutely, the first step in making sure the player signs up to the site is the welcome bonus. Newly registered players from Japan will be able to claim it.

Do players need to pay taxes on their winnings in Japan?

No, the winnings the players make are not taxable in Japan.

Are there withdrawal fees at international live casinos?

Depending on the payment method the player has chosen, there might be some minor fees that will apply. Usually, the e-Wallets have such fees, but they are very small.

Which live games are most popular in Japan?

Players from Japan tend to enjoy playing live poker, live blackjack, and live baccarat.