TOKYO (TR) – A supply with the Tokyo Metropolitan Police has revealed to the Mainichi Shimbun (Feb. 15) that 10 male performers with the Yoshimoto Kogyo expertise company have been questioned over unlawful on-line playing.
Among those that have been questioned on a voluntary foundation have been manzai stand-up comedians Kazunobu Kubota, 45, of the duo Toro Salmon and Kuruma Takahira, 30, of Reiwa Roman.
Kubota denied involvement. However, Takahira and others have usually admitted to unlawful playing. “It is true that I was playing online casinos. I was under the impression that it was not illegal, and so I was playing online casinos,” Takahira stated on his YouTube channel on February 15.
Yoshimoto Kogyo discovered concerning the matter after a 3rd celebration submitted a tip.
Online on line casino playing reportedly unfold by way of word-of-mouth amongst performers, with some believed to have guess a number of million yen.
The casinos are operated from abroad. Law enforcement believes that the income from the operations is used funneled to felony syndicates.
In 2024, the National Police Agency apprehended 279 suspects over involvement in on-line casinos. The determine is twice the entire from the yr earlier than.
Earlier this month, it was discovered that police have been interviewing Yoshimoto Kogyo comedians about unlawful wagering at abroad on-line casinos.
Not in a position clients will not be restricted to comedians. Orix Buffaloes pitcher Taisuke Yamaoka was questioned about taking part in in a web-based poker match. As nicely, desk tennis participant Koki Niwa acquired a abstract indictment for involvement.
“Lost 13 million yen”
Nippon News Network (Feb. 18) spoke to a person who stated that he began taking part in on-line casinos as a result of he believed they weren’t unlawful.
“The most I’ve lost in a day is about 13 million yen,” he instructed the community.
He went even performed whereas at work.
“I opened the site and played whenever I got the chance,” he stated. “The scariest thing is that it can be done 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.”
He stated that he didn’t realize it was unlawful on the time.
“I believed what was said [on social media] that it was not illegal,” he stated. “I think that false information has been rampant in the world for a long time.”
The man says he has now give up on-line casinos, however he racked up money owed of about 70 million yen over two years.
“I thought it was scary that i had no sense of money,” he stated. “It had become like a game, and if you have money, you can make transfers, so you can keep playing until you run out of money.”
“I deeply regret the inconvenience”
In his clarification on YouTube, Takahira additionally stated that he was unaware of the illegality of wagering at on-line casinos. At the tip of 2019, an acquaintance from his college days defined to him that “it is not illegal to play online casinos by transferring money from an overseas account.”
He additionally stated that he “understood that it was not illegal” as a result of there have been commercials for it on the web on the time. He defined that he continued taking part in on-line casinos for a few yr till the tip of 2020.
“I deeply regret the inconvenience I have caused everyone. I am truly sorry,” Takahira stated.
Yoichi Torihata, professor emeritus at Shizuoka University, research points surrounding on-line casinos.
“Games and gambling are becoming one, and the boundaries are gradually disappearing,” says professor Torihata. “Even if there is misleading advertising that makes it seem as though the site is legal, you should not trust it. You must be fully aware that accessing gambling sites and gambling within Japan is illegal. I think it is important to be fully aware that gambling and online casinos are dangerous and not get involved.”