A sad fact about poker in Japan

[shokoba]

In Japan, it is a crime to play poker for money. This is true even for online poker.

However, in Japan, there is a game called pachinko, which is also a gambling game, and there are stores all over town.

Don't you think it is strange?

There is talk of a casino in Japan by 2030, but that may be a long way off, as a Japanese man was recently arrested for acting as an online casino payment agent.

Poker is a very popular game around the world right now, and I hope it will spread more in Japan.

Pachinko in Japan is the kind of gambling you shouldn't do.

The stores are manipulating the pachinko table to make the expected value negative.

 

[G0930]

In Japan, it is a crime to play poker for money. This is true even for online poker.

However, in Japan, there is a game called pachinko, which is also a gambling game, and there are stores all over town.

Don't you think it is strange?

There is talk of a casino in Japan by 2030, but that may be a long way off, as a Japanese man was recently arrested for acting as an online casino payment agent.

Poker is a very popular game around the world right now, and I hope it will spread more in Japan.

Pachinko in Japan is the kind of gambling you shouldn't do.

The stores are manipulating the pachinko table to make the expected value negative.

interesting , so any Japanese I see online plays illegal according to Japanese law.
It's similar in austria. Our country only issues gambling licenses to companies owned by the state.
But pokerstars and almost any other well known online room is available to me.
They are operating here ever since. too much money involved to back out
Many highstakes players from Austria, especially since the last 10 years where more and more pros moved to Vienna.

 

[hilary antonik filho]

Very sad, for such an advanced country, to still have laws from the past, interesting for one game the legality and for another the punishment

 

[nameless]

I didnt know it but there are many countrys that are restricted because of laws

 

[Fofa]

Very sad, for such an advanced country, to still have laws from the past, interesting for one game the legality and for another the punishment

soo sad indeed... i think they want Pachinko as a main gambling game somehow

 

[Mag_P1e]

I feel for you! But who then are all these people at the table with me with Japanese flags?

 

[Pokerpoet2]

I believe that in Japan any form of Gambling is Illegal, and "pachinko" that has been mentioned is just a slot game that you buy a bucket of marbles to play the machine and win "marbles" and is really popular in Japan, but there are some Underground gambling Dens usually run by the Japanese Mafia. That could cost you a lot more than just money. Time in prison if caught.
Even amusement arcades that have coin pushers, use discs instead of money so you are not gambling as such and can only win prize tickets to exchange for gifts. As for Japanese Players On-line the simple answer could be they Identify as being born in Japan but have emigrated to other Countries that allow on-line gambling, I know someone who plays on PokerStars in Holland, but he still identifies as being British and has the Union Jack on his Profile and not the Dutch flag.
Government run casinos could be a possibility in Japan as they would be able to regulate themselves and the money they make could be used for future developments, plus it would take business away from the "Yakuza" (Japanese Mafia).
As the saying goes "If you cannot beat them, Join them" Banning something that is popular among the general Public only sends it underground, run by the criminals, just like it did during "Prohibition" in the USA. Booze was still available if you knew the right people who could get their hands on it.

 

[antonis32123]

i could swear that i have seen far too many times Javanese at the tables lol . anyway , hope they make poker legal in Japan , it would be good for Japanese to be free to choose to play any games they want , gamble in casino , sports , poker ,

 

[bapfel]

That`s new for me, and sounds really crazy for a "free country", I thought Japan was... so I guess I will reduce a little bit now my complaining about German Regulation here

 

[Mauricio Perrotta]

Japan has an ancient and wise culture, if they have not approved that you can play Poker for money, they will surely have a reason

 

[dreamer13]

Pachinko machines are a slightly more complicated version of the pinball we are used to. To play, you need to buy special metal balls, pour them into the machine and shoot them into the playing field. The balls roll down, overcoming various obstacles.

 

[Paya_31]

Hello, I think that if a game is prohibited it should be the same for other real money games, over time I think this will change, which will make poker grow much more.

 

[rachelle2291]

Some of the best backgammon players in the world are from japan and some of them are women. I am fairly certain they are playing for money but maybe in Japan backgammon is not considered a gambling game and it is legal.

 

[G0930]

I feel for you! But who then are all these people at the table with me with Japanese flags?

Unregulated market but operating in Japan still..
Same here in Austria . It's not completely illegal but our state never issued any license to any pokerroom except for the state owned casino"s website.

 

[Gallarado777]

It's very sad to hear that yes poker is becoming very famous all over the world and poker will be available in your region in the near future, I really hope so, but I always see players from your region playing poker or they just change the region but I see players from Japan at POKEROK

 

[Rachidao]

Its like brazil, bingo is illegal here but betting places is all over the place, even at soccer shirts mostly are betting sponsorship.

 

[bullkk]

This is news to me. Very sad. (((

 

[Easylu]

Your contribution is very interesting, I didn't know anything about what was happening in Japan. Thank you I hope I continue to post more in this forum