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Online Casino Landscape in Japan: Japan is very strict about online gambling, and online casinos remain strictly prohibited and illegal there.
Many countries globally are embracing the concept of online gambling, but there are still quite a few nations that are cautious of it. Japan surely falls in the latter category.
A framework is being designed in Japan to identify and eliminate any kind of addiction by preventing it firsthand and preserving the public trust. It aims to completely eliminate any kind of organized crime.
Online Casinos in Japan a Criminal Offense
A warning was issued by the government officially, stating clearly that anyone who engages in any form of online gambling will be subject to prosecution.
The Regulatory Body in Japan for Online Casinos’s
JCRC or the Japan Casino Regulatory Commission, is the regulatory body in Japan that governs all activities related to casinos that fall under the IR Development Act, which is about land-based casinos. In this act, however, there is no mention of online gambling and hence, it remains prohibited in Japan.
Integrated Resorts
- Integrated Resorts (I) are licensed and supervised by the Japan Casino Regulatory Commission.
- All casino operators, including the major shareholders and the executives, are also licensed and supervised by the JCRC.
- All Casino-related facility providers and landowners, along with the financial service providers to the manufacturers of the gaming devices in these casinos, are licensed and supervised by the JCRC.
How does JCRC give licenses?
There are 3-year renewable licenses, and licensed IR casino activities are exempted from Articles 185 & 186 of the Penal Code (gambling / habitual gambling); however, it is to be noted that this exemption is only within specified gaming areas defined in the license.
The owners, manufacturers, and land rights holders of these IRs also have to gain permission and pass rigorous checks before operating these IR Casinos, as they are key stakeholders of these casinos.
The Online Casino Landscape in Japan is still evolving and it is been strictly regulated by the government of Japan.
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