The perennially packed pachinko parlours would lead one to think that Japan has a gambling culture, that Japanese online casinos are thriving and that it is possibly one of the gambling powerhouses in the world. 

And yet it isn’t. In fact, since 1991 and for the following decade, the gambling industry peaked at some 91 billion yen and has recorded a negative for the fourth consecutive year, reaching a scale of 86 billion yen in 2000.  

So what do the Japanese gamble on?

Technically, gambling is only allowed on public sports such as horse racing and boat racing, as well as on the state run lottery. Betting on such races peaked at some nine billion yen in 1992, and since then, has suffered a decline. The central horse race only gained popularity in 1997, due to the appearance of superstar jockey Taketoyo and Naritabrian, the fifth triple-crown horse. However, even that central horse race turned negative after 1998 to return to the scale of about 10 billion yen. 

The lottery market, on the other hand, has huge potential – especially since it has been liberalised. In the past, punters would need to get hold of coupons which would give them the right to buy the actual lottery tickets. These days, lottery tickets can be bought directly. However, the market is currently still small, especially when compared to that in Europe and the US. Yet while in 2000, the market was worth 950 billion yen, it is growing, especially following significant investment in advertising. 

The gambling ruler in Japan, however, is Japanese pachinko, which is the largest gambling industry in the world. Awarding direct money prizes is not allowed in pachinko – instead, parlours reward players with golden tokens, which can then be sold for cash. 

Until a few years ago, pachinko was the preferred source of entertainment for most – in smoke-filled parlours, thousands would gather to relieve stress after a day at the office, or simply to kill time. It has, however, suffered a decline, especially following a revision in smoking law – now it is prohibited to smoke in pachinko parlours. 

Japanese online casinos are slowly but surely gaining in popularity. Casinos are not considered illegal in Asian countries and are becoming popular with the younger generations in Japan. So if by 2025 casinos had to be legalised, Japan would surely become a gambling powerhouse to reckon with. 
 
Disclaimer: Play responsibly. Players must be over 18. For help visit https://www.gamcare.org.uk/