Japanese Panel Keeps Website Blocking on the Table for Online Casinos

^{A Japanese government study group recommended keeping website blocking on the table to curb illegal online casinos, in a report finalised in July 2026. (Photo: Daderot / Wikimedia Commons)}

A Japanese government advisory panel has recommended that website blocking should not be ruled out as a tool to curb illegal online casinos, in a report finalised in July 2026 by a study group convened by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

The recommendation carries weight because online casinos are illegal in Japan yet remain easily accessible, while other markets in the region, such as Singapore with its tighter anti-money laundering rules for casinos, have tightened their own controls to steer players towards licensed online casino sites. At present, the Japanese government only orders internet providers to block sites linked to child sexual abuse material.

The ministry set up the Study Group on Access Prevention for Online Casinos in April 2025, chaired by Kyoto University law professor Masahiro Sogabe. It published interim findings in September 2025 before finalising its report at its 15th meeting on 22 July 2026, according to the ministry's announcement.

A draft report was put out for public consultation between 15 May and 15 June 2026, receiving 236 submissions from companies, public bodies, and individuals. The final report was compiled after those responses were considered.

The panel concluded that blocking should not be excluded from Japan's overall response, while stressing that it engages the constitutional protections of the secrecy of communications and the freedom of access to information. Any move to block sites, it said, would require a clear legal basis rather than voluntary action by providers.

Blocking should not be excluded from Japan's response to illegal online casinos, but would require a firm legal basis and proof that less restrictive measures have failed.

The report set conditions for any future blocking: that less restrictive measures have been tried and shown to be insufficient, and that the benefits outweigh the losses to users' rights. It acknowledged that blocking is technically easy to circumvent, for example, through virtual private networks, but said it could still help protect younger and casual users.

For now, the government is prioritising other measures, including public awareness campaigns, law enforcement, the removal of content by social media and search providers, requests to overseas governments to geo-block sites, and payment blocking. These build on a recent amendment to Japan's basic act on gambling addiction countermeasures.

That amendment, passed by the national parliament, outlawed the operation of online casino sites and the posting of information that steers users towards them, although commentators noted at the time that the measure lacked penalty provisions. The government has linked the rapid spread of offshore online casinos to rising gambling addiction.

Some members of the panel argued that the deterrent effect of existing tools, such as the threat of prosecution, was approaching its limits, while critics warned that blocking risked eroding privacy and restricting access to information. The study group said that balance would need to be closely examined before any framework is built.

Officials have said the report will inform further deliberation on anti-gambling policy, with a decision on how to proceed expected later in 2026. The debate echoes moves elsewhere, including in Australia, where authorities have also moved to restrict gambling advertising.