Japan may introduce
Online Gambling after 2010
 February
18 - In Japan horseracing, lotteries and
pachinko parlours
are the only legalised and regulated form of gambling, but that
may well change in the next few years as the country considers
the legalisation of land and
online casinos.
According to recent reports, the Japanese government has been in
contact with some of the world's biggest online gambling
operators to discuss the possibility of
opening up the country's gaming markets,
and in doing so, help top up coffers that are emptying as result
of its declining tourist industry.
By legalising and regulating online gambling in the country,
Japan will be able to dramatically
increase its taxable revenues
just as neighbouring countries Macau and Singapore have
successfully done over the past few years.
And from the point of view of online gambling operators, the
Japanese market is a potential gold mine with a
population estimated at over 128 million.
The country is also relatively wealthy, which means will be no
shortage of people with the means and desire to gamble online.
In fact, Japan's gross domestic product per capita is higher
than that of the United States. But while it seems that in
principle the Japanese government is
open to the possibility of legalising online gambling,
industry analysts are quick to point out that these gambling
changes will not happen overnight.
The reason is simply that the legislative process in Japan is
painstakingly slow, so the hope is that sometime after 2010 the
Japanese will be able to
enjoy gambling online
as well as in land casinos as much as they enjoy playing Guitar
Hero, eating poisonous blowfish sushi (fugu) and inventing new
types of robots.
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