Two people have been arrested in Japan for allegedly running a payment service for online casinos. Authorities in Japan have detained two individuals on suspicion of operating a payment platform for internet-based gambling establishments.
Tokyo authorities have detained two Japanese citizens for reportedly aiding in illegal online gambling for multiple years.
Police officers were on patrol in Tokyo, Japan. They apprehended two individuals who were acting as financial agents for online casinos based outside of the country. (Image credit: Getty Images)
The pair allegedly conducted multiple financial transactions for 18 Japanese clients from July 2021 to July 2022, as reported by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. Their role was to act as middlemen, facilitating gambling payments for these clients in order to avoid detection by law enforcement.
In approximately 2020, the individuals in question created an online payment system and routinely moved money from Japan to three specific internet casinos.
Last July, the duo ceased operations of their financial service. Nevertheless, they are accused of managing deposits worth hundreds of millions of dollars and earning approximately $14 million in profits from casinos before shutting down.
The accused individuals are facing charges for allegedly transferring money on behalf of Japanese citizens to online casinos operating outside of Japan. They are accused of acting as intermediaries for these individuals, allowing them to easily place bets using their mobile devices without direct involvement.
The casinos and the names of the suspects have not been disclosed by the police.
Participating in web-based betting is still against the law.
It is still uncertain if the two have been formally charged by prosecutors. As stated in Article 186, Section 2 of Japan’s Penal Code, they could potentially receive a prison sentence of up to five years.
Japan has recently made its first arrests of people suspected of helping others access online casinos. This is part of a larger effort in the country to clamp down on those involved in unlawful gambling activities.
Certain individuals within the gaming community and local citizens of Japan have been advocating for the approval of online gambling. However, the nation has faced challenges in garnering sufficient backing to establish physical casinos.
The Japanese government has frequently stressed to its citizens that participating in online gambling, with only a few exceptions, is against the law.
Japan has implemented a new system for reporting crimes anonymously.
From October 1 onwards, Japan’s national police will be implementing a wider range of options for anonymous reporting of crimes. This update will facilitate the collection of vital information related to illicit online gambling sites.
As the national police work to battle online gambling, the country is raising the highest reward amount for filing an anonymous crime report. The current amount is JPY100,000 (US$670), but it will soon be raised to JPY1 million (US$6,702).
The system was launched in 2007, but experienced a notable increase in the number of reports received through it last year. As a result, the police have received over 27,000 of these reports, resulting in 45 arrests. Out of those 45 cases, only 11 resulted in a reward being given. The government has paid a total of JPY530,000 (equivalent to US$3,552) in these cases.
Originally, this program was created to collect information on the trafficking of humans and the exploitation of children through prostitution. It later grew to encompass instances of child abuse, crimes related to gangs, and incidents involving drugs and firearms. It has since expanded to cover various types of fraud and unlawful gambling.
Japanese authorities have detained two individuals for facilitating financial transactions related to internet gambling platforms, according to a report from Casino.org.
