Japan is a country that has a complex set of gambling laws. The Penal Code of Japan prohibits practically all forms of betting with a few exceptions, such as horse racing and domestic soccer pools in a lottery style. In the country, there are no legal casinos. There are no real legal options for fans of fixed-odds betting. Instead, they have to turn to online betting sites or illegal bookies. But luckily, Japanese authorities are not blocking foreign betting sites or prosecuting users. Many of the most recognized and secure online bookmakers in the world accept Japanese punters’ (a person who gambles) wagers. Serious discussions have taken place to allow casinos to operate in Tokyo and Osaka. Japanese sports betting fans are undoubtedly hoping that online sports wagering legalization will also be on the menu. On May 10, 1998, the Sports Promotion Voting Act (SPV) was passed to legalize toto soccer or soccer pools betting on the local Japanese J-League. The Ministry of Education, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) regulates this type of gambling.
Top Online Sports Betting Sites
Online gambling here is illegal, meaning that Japan does not have licensed or regulated internet bookmakers. Fortunately, the government seems willing to allow this to happen without much intervention for these punters. While there are rules for banking that discourage such transactions, the authorities here are doing little to stop this operation. Internet bookmakers are not blocked, and there is no suspension for players. Japanese sports betting fans are therefore more or less free to place wagers on their favorite online betting sites. While laws about online sports betting in Japan are vague, several residents still wager on online sports betting sites. The following websites have Japanese language and offer Japanese yen as a currency:
- Betway
- Bet365
- Intertops
- MyBookie
- SpinSports
- XBet
- Pinnacle
The world’s largest and most credible sports wagering brands like Betclic and MarathonBet are trusted, and Japan is no different. Japanese sports bettors know that they get good odds, quick payouts, and a wide range of markets to wager on when they place bets on SportingBet, Expekt and Betsson. They also know these top-rated bookies offer a wide variety of rewards and promotions on an ongoing basis. Japanese sports bettors have a lot to choose from searching for good bookmakers who offer bonuses. BetVictor, 18Bet and Youwin will welcome Japanese clients with lower-value free bets. A cinch to claim at Mobilbet, SLbet or Fun88 is up to € 100 in free bonus bets while it gets even better at ComeOn who will welcome you with bonus bets of up to € 300. Punters cash in with their $1,000 in free bets at MyBookie’s.
Throughout Asia and Japan, the move from land-based sportsbooks to online sports betting is being made by more gamblers. Also, if you are used to making your bets on your local bookie, we can guarantee that you will never see sports betting the same way again once you move to an online operator.