Latest news with #ToshikazuYamaguchi
The Mainichi
22-05-2025
- Business
- The Mainichi
About $45 billion wagered from Japan on int'l gambling sites in 2024: sports council
TOKYO -- Just over 6.45 trillion yen (approx. $45 billion) flowed out of Japan to international sports betting markets in 2024 through gambling on professional baseball, soccer and other sports, industry group the Council for Sports Ecosystem Promotion (C-SEP) revealed May 14 at a symposium in the country's capital. Japanese law prohibits accessing overseas websites to engage in gambling. Online casinos have in some cases featured sports betting at the top of their sites. While the National Police Agency estimates the annual amount staked on domestic online casinos at about 1.2423 trillion yen (some $8.67 billion), the outflow to overseas markets is more than five times greater. C-SEP calculated these figures by requesting data from major internet providers and consultants overseas. Of the 6.4503 trillion yen total, about 1 trillion was bet by residents of Japan on domestic sports using overseas services. Pro baseball made up 528.1 billion yen ($3.68 billion or so) of this, while soccer -- such as the -- accounted for 333.4 billion yen (roughly $2.32 billion), and basketball -- including the -- represented 86.92 billion yen (around $606 million). The global market for betting on Japanese sports, both inside and outside Japan, is estimated to total about 4.9 trillion yen (roughly $34.18 billion). Some players from professional baseball teams including the Orix Buffaloes and Yomiuri Giants have been referred to prosecutors on gambling charges over the suspected use of online casinos. In addition, Nippon Professional Baseball's internal body issued fines totaling 10.2 million yen (around $75,175) to 16 individuals from eight teams who used such services. Japan is already considered a "gambling powerhouse," with total revenue of the Japan Racing Association's "Chuo Keiba" horse races exceeding 3.3 trillion yen (about $23 billion) and boat racing surpassing 2.5 trillion yen in 2024. Meanwhile, some in the business and political worlds argue that legalizing domestic sports betting on pro baseball and other sports could help prevent the outflow of money to illegal markets. However, Toshikazu Yamaguchi, a C-SEP council member and owner of the Yomiuri Giants, expressed skepticism to reporters on the same day, stating, "I think that's unlikely. Nobody in pro baseball is of the opinion that such a market should be created."
Yomiuri Shimbun
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Over ¥6 Trillion Bet on Sports Through Overseas Websites; Tokyo Symposium Proposes Ratifying Macolin Convention
The Yomiuri Shimbun A discussion on sports betting is held at a symposium in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, on Wednesday. Residents of Japan are estimated to have illegally bet at least ¥6.4503 trillion through overseas sports betting websites in 2024, according to a recent report. The Council for Sports Ecosystem Promotion, a general incorporated foundation that works to support the sports industry, unveiled the report on Wednesday at a symposium held in Tokyo. The council commissioned an overseas research firm and other organizations to estimate the amount of betting from Japan, based on data from betting operators in countries where it is legal to gamble on sports. According to the survey, the total amount exceeded ¥6 trillion, of which ¥1.0183 trillion was wagered on Japanese sports. The largest value of bets were placed on professional baseball at ¥528.1 billion, followed by soccer at ¥333.4 billion and basketball at ¥86.9 billion. A total of ¥4.9112 trillion was wagered from around the world on Japanese sports, with soccer, including the J-League, accounting for ¥2.8534 trillion. At the symposium, Diet members and former athletes were among those discussing the need for international cooperation to address illegal gambling that crosses borders and the risk of athletes becoming involved in illegal acts. It was proposed that Japan ratify the Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions, known as the Macolin Convention, which was put into effect in 2019 by the Council of Europe. The symposium participants also called for cracking down on illegal operators and identifying cheating. 'Illegal betting is spreading rapidly, and if nothing is done, the Japanese sports industry could become a target,' said council member Toshikazu Yamaguchi, the president of The Yomiuri Shimbun Holdings. Attorney Hironori Inagaki, representative director of the council, said the council intends to quickly establish a domestic organization with the aim of ratifying the convention.
Yomiuri Shimbun
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Panel Convenes to Discuss Blocking Access to Online Casino Sites; 60% of Site Users Say They Are Aware They Are Addicted
The Yomiuri Shimbun 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.
