In an unprecedented move, Japan’s law enforcement agencies are now actively pursuing and arresting users of overseas online casinos, utilizing a novel crypto “tracking tool”. On November 26 (JST), the Security Division of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department referred ten individuals, including a 35-year old fire department worker, to the prosecutor’s office. This raises the tally of arrests made in this regard to 57 since September.
In a period marked by economic hardship, Japanese citizens are finding themselves facing criminal charges for non-violent offenses such as gambling on overseas crypto casinos. According to Nikkei, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s Security Division has, in a national first, been identifying gamblers using a crypto “tracking tool”. Though regulated gambling is legal for certain activities such as horse racing, unauthorized gambling is considered a punishable offense in Japan.
Sportsbet.io is among the websites reportedly frequented by those referred to the prosecutor’s office. It is noteworthy to mention that since September, 57 arrests have been made across 24 prefectures, with unsuspecting individuals finding themselves in hot water for using their money as they saw fit, on overseas crypto casinos. To date, the state has identified 130 gamblers and plans to progressively clamp down on the remaining cases.
Online casinos such as sportsbet.io, Vera & John casino, and BitCasino, market themselves as safe, fun, and secure, and are “fully available in Japanese.” Among the individuals recently reported is a 35-year-old fire department worker from Kodaira city, Tokyo. The group of ten individuals referred to the prosecutor’s office on the 26th ranges in age from their 20s to 60s.
In the meantime, the Japanese public is questioning the police’s focus on arresting gamblers while other, arguably more pressing, issues remain unresolved. Among these is the unresolved DMM Bitcoin hack, which resulted in the theft of 4,502.9 BTC, an event blamed on the North Korean “Lazarus Group.” The $305 million-dollar theft remains shrouded in mystery, as does the $532 million-dollar Coincheck hack in 2018.
Public sentiment, as expressed on social media, strongly suggests that law enforcement should prioritize catching hackers before gamblers. There are even suspicions that the police are identifying people through their KYC information registered with the sites, leading to suggestions that registering under a foreign ID and a different name could make prosecution more difficult.
Given the economic hardships faced by many, including the elderly who are barely surviving on below-poverty line pensions, the state’s hardline stance on individuals attempting to supplement their income through online gambling is raising eyebrows. As the debate continues, it remains to be seen how this situation will evolve.
