Japan’s amended gambling law, effective September 25, 2025, intensifies restrictions on online casinos, particularly targeting overseas platforms accessible to Japanese residents. The law bans launching new online casino sites and prohibits all advertising and promotion of such platforms, including through social media and influencer endorsements. While foreign-licensed gambling operations remain legal abroad, accessing or promoting them in Japan is now illegal. The government also mandates public awareness campaigns to educate citizens on the illicit status of online gambling, aiming to reduce exposure and combat addiction, especially among vulnerable groups.

Japan’s gambling regulation remains stringent, allowing only state-authorized betting activities and land-based casinos within Integrated Resorts (IRs), such as the upcoming Osaka IR, which enforces strict visitor controls and addiction prevention measures. Unlike India’s federal approach, where states regulate land-based casinos, Japan maintains a centralized framework that prohibits nearly all private gambling outside its tightly controlled IR model. This reform reflects Japan’s commitment to curbing offshore online gambling by closing regulatory gaps and strengthening state control over gambling activities.