Panel Convenes to Discuss Blocking Access to Online Casino Sites; 60% of Site Users Say They Are Aware They Are Addicted
The first meeting to consider measures to deter illegal gambling at online casinos in Tokyo on Wednesday
A panel of experts, set up by the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry, has held its first meeting to consider measures to deter illegal gambling at online casinos. Their talks are expected to focus on measures to block access to online casino sites.
There are high hopes for the blocking approach, which would make it impossible to access such sites, but it would also be difficult to implement, due in part to the 'secrecy of any means of communication' guaranteed in the Constitution.
'Blocking could be an important option for dealing with online casinos, which are a serious pathology,' said Prof. Motoki Shizume of Gakushuin University at the panel meeting.
'Some countries have set up organizations specifically to deal with gambling and to block access to websites that host online casinos,' said Toshikazu Yamaguchi, president of The Yomiuri Shimbun Holdings. 'Japan should also act quickly.'
The panel will consider such measures as setting up a new system to perform the blocking.
Blocking the online casino sites would be effective, but it would not be easy to introduce the new system. The biggest issue would be the 'secrecy of any means of communication' guaranteed in the Constitution. For the system to work, telecom companies would need to track which all websites users are visiting online, a step that violates the right to privacy in communications.
To combat sites that offer pirated manga and magazine content, such as Mangamura, the government in 2018 tried to develop a system to block access. However, the plan was abandoned in the face of opposition, which stressed the guaranteed privacy of communications.
The one exception has been for websites carrying child pornography. These sites were blocked in Japan to prevent considerable harm to children, after due consideration was given to possible infringements to the privacy of communications.
The panel plans to compile an interim report as early as this summer.
'This will be the third round of discussions on blocking systems, following those for child pornography and pirated content,' said Prof. Masahiro Sogabe of Kyoto University, who heads the panel. 'We can start discussions based on what has been examined before.'
60% aware of their addiction
About 3.37 million people in Japan are estimated to have used online casino sites, according to materials presented by the National Police Agency at the panel meeting. About 60% of users said they were aware that they were addicted.
Many users of online gambling sites are younger, and they tend to bet higher amounts and accrue larger debts than people addicted to gambling on horseracing, according to Takanobu Matsuzaki, head of the psychiatry department at the National Hospital Organization Kurihama Medical and Addiction Center.
'They become absorbed in [online casino gambling] as though they were playing a video game, and they quickly become addicted,' Matsuzaki said. 'Because people can easily access online casino sites from smartphones, it is difficult to treat them by cutting them off.'
The NPA's analysis showed that the top 40 online casino sites offering services in Japanese are based in countries and territories where casinos are legal. Because these sites are not subject to punishment in their respective countries and territories, it is difficult for Japanese investigators to get local authorities to cooperate.
Users in Japan are estimated to bet about ¥1.2423 trillion a year on overseas casino sites. Police are cracking down on payment service agents, who settle bets and receive handling fees. It is also suspected that tokuryu, or 'anonymous and fluid criminal' groups, are using online casinos to launder money.
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