Poker Writer
Police in the Tokyo area arrested a 36-year-old man who was the former executive of a Tokyo-based payment processing company alongside eight others, for allegedly facilitating illegal online gambling worth 340 billion yen, approximately $2.1 billion in USD.
Authorities in Saitama Prefecture arrested Yuta Suzuki, from the Nakano Ward of Tokyo. They arrested him along with eight others, including both men and women. Suzuki was an executive at Tenmei, which authorities say acted as a financial middleman for overseas online casinos. Japan outlaws gambling with such entities.
The business was allegedly very profitable. Suzuki raked in as much as 10 billion yen (~$62 million) in commissions, with the operation running since 2019. Investigators say the accused facilitated 44 instances of illegal gambling. They allege the operation served six customers before ending in 2025. There is currently no word from Suzuki whether he or any of his colleagues has admitted to the charges or not.
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Widespread Complex Operation
With gambling law in Japan being as strict as it is, the operation had to be complex to vex authorities for as long as it did. Gamblers in Japan find it difficult to wire money to offshore casinos. Tenmei stepped in to assist. The group used social media as individuals opened bank accounts under the names of fictitious corporations.
The network would then use as many as 500 fake accounts to collect cash from local gamblers and issue them equivalent points that were used for betting on online overseas sites.
Suzuki allegedly had plenty of help in running this syndicate. Authorities are still working to identify the individuals from whom he received highly encrypted messages, which included instructions to help the operation. Many of these individuals likely come from overseas.
The scale of the operation is staggering. If the group served only six customers, that means it moved an average of $350 million per customer. Local reports didn’t specify whether the money was used for online slots, sports betting, or some other form of gambling.
Gambling Laws in Japan
Gambling is strictly prohibited in Japan under the Criminal Code chapter 23. The only exceptions are for betting on horse racing and motor sports. Citizens can wager on these in a limited fashion.
But the restrictions on casinos are relaxing. There are machinations underway to bring more casino resorts to Japan. There is already one approved in Osaka, but more could be in the works.
Japan does have a limited legal industry of gambling games called pachinko. It has pinball- and slot-like elements and is typically played for low stakes. Despite that, the industry generates hundreds of billions of dollars per year.
Outside of casinos, the legalization of gambling is still a slow process in Japan. There’s currently no path forward for legal sports betting. Placing bets on overseas online casinos from within Japan is strictly prohibited, making this operation highly illegal under Japanese law.
