An expert panel under Japan’s communications ministry has said website blocking could be an effective measure for restricting access to illegal online casino sites. The draft report, presented on April 24, considered it within a wider debate on the extent of government intervention when dealing with digital gambling activity.
Online casino gambling is illegal in Japan, even when the operator is based overseas. When a person places bets using an overseas casino platform from inside Japan, it is still considered a gambling activity by Japanese law.
Rights Concerns Remain a Major Barrier
The panel noted that any form of blocking would be very delicate from a legal perspective. According to Jiji Press, the report flagged issues regarding the confidentiality of communications and access to information, which are both constitutional rights in Japan.
Thus, the panel recommended that the government assess whether less-restrictive methods had already been effectively employed before blocking became necessary. This includes imposing stricter controls on casino-related advertisements and other interventions under the amended Basic Act on Countermeasures Against Gambling Addiction. That law came into force in September 2025 and is now part of the country’s wider response to online gambling harm.
Police Data Adds Pressure
Data by Japan’s National Police Agency indicated that police arrested or took other enforcement action against 317 people in 2025 over suspected online gambling. That was 38 more people than a year earlier and the highest annual figure since records began in 2018.
Police data linked the increase mainly to individuals using online casino sites by themselves. With this form of gambling, enforcement is getting more difficult compared to land-based cases, as there is no particular venue to inspect. Access often happens through a smartphone, and these instances are harder to monitor than venue-based gambling.
What Happens Next
The finalized report by the panel could come out as soon as summer. Until then, the question is not just whether blocking would work, but whether Japan can do it based on a rights-oriented legal system.
Japan is moving from mere enforcement toward control through infrastructure. Access blocking could well be a means of control, but it might not suffice by itself. The logical path would be to adopt a layered strategy, with steps ranging from advertising restrictions and public warnings to pressure on payment routes, police action, and only then access blocking.
