Convenience, instant thrill of online casinos lure young Japanese people amid pandemic

May 24, 2022 Japan Crime & Legal

In the wake of the arrest of a 24-year-old man who claims to have gambled away 46.3 million yen (about $363,000) in coronavirus relief money that a western Japan town mistakenly deposited into his account, the incident raises a simple question: Can a person use up nearly 50 million yen at an online casino in a little over 10 days?

According to a lawyer representing Sho Taguchi, 24, a resident of Abu, Yamaguchi Prefecture, who stands accused of computer fraud, the suspect repeatedly withdrew the overpaid money from his account almost every day from April 8, when the Abu Municipal Government made the blunder. By April 18, his account’s balance stood at less than 70,000 yen (about $550).

While it’s not clear whether Taguchi was a gambling addict, if he did gamble away the entire sum at an online casino, it translates to him betting around 4 million yen (about $31,000) per day.

According to a group providing support to gambling addicts, there has been a rising number of young people in Japan who have become addicted to gambling at online casinos during the coronavirus pandemic.

“The biggest appeal of online casinos is that they can be played without limits around the clock, which at the same time is scary,” a 30-year-old office worker who has gotten addicted to online casinos told the Mainichi Shimbun. “Compared to pachinko and horse racing, players can get a thrill out of seeing their win or loss in an instant (at online casinos),” he said.