Japan Sports Betting: Government Says Not So Fast
Japanese policymakers are throwing cold-blooded H2O on the thought of expanded sports wagering in the country, indicating a proposal to that essence is unlikely to gain near-term traction.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno of late acknowledged that while Japan’s Sports Development Council could sports meeting next month for the 1st time since 2018, it’s unlikely broader sports betting testament emerge from that conference.
Currently, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is holding a work mathematical group on sports, but it has also been reported that there is no more design to present tense a proposal to lift the banning on sports betting at any of the work groups,” he told local media.
His remarks come up just years after reports surfaced that the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry has a tipple proposal to liberalise sports wagering inward the world’s third-largest economy. However, that venture was rapidly refuted past manufacture diplomatic minister Koichi Hagiuda, indicating any track to broadening sports betting inward Nippon is potential lengthy and potentially futile.
Support for Japanese Islands Sports Betting Hard
Sports betting inward Japanese Islands is a different ballgame compared to other highly-developed markets, the like Europe and the US. Local attitudes and policy pee it difficult to advance broader sports wagering, fifty-fifty if regulated.
In the Land of the Rising Sun, sports betting isn’t as ingrained inward local civilization as in the US or Europe. The state-level regulating that workings inwards the US potential isn’t workable inwards Japan. Additionally, some citizens are resistant to the idea of integrated resorts, and while Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is supportive of land-based casinos, he’s ardently opposed to any organize of online gaming.
The current Japanese sports betting landscape is modified to cycling, Equus caballus racing, and powerboat and bike racing. Betting on the J-League is currently permitted below a lottery-style system of rules known as “Toto.” But that’s far different than traditional single-game wagering.
Baseball’s Nippon Professional League opted against participating inward Toto amid owners’ fears of possible match-fixing scandals.
Plenty of Red Tape
Japan already has a reputation for bureaucratic delays and snafus regarding its integrated resort process. These issues chased some marquee gaming companies from the country, and it’s possible that the problem would resurface with any try to liberalise sports wagering.
Each of the aforementioned sports for which betting is permitted is regulated by a split up ministry. Bringing all those activities under ane umbrella is considered hard at best.
Working through those issues could take years, indicating that expanding sports betting inwards Asia’s second-largest saving isn’t imminent.