In Japan an expert committee has proposed a draft framework which would allow authorities to block illegal online casino sites as part of what could be the beginning of a series of more stringent regulations on illegal gambling activities.
The ministry for internal affairs and communications started the framework and believes blocking access to offshore gambling sites could help limit the number of young people who are harmed from gambling. There are also some legal and constitutional questions which have to be addressed before proceeding further with any measures pertaining to blocking illegal online gambling or any other illegal gambling activity.
Members of the expert panel have expressed their support for tougher actions designed to address illegal operators because they are extremely exploitative and not able to be controlled with existing regulations.
Noriko Tanaka, a panel member and head of the Society Concerned About Gambling Addiction, said:
These organisations are truly malicious. Young people can easily fall prey to them, so I strongly hope they will be blocked.
The framework concludes that there may already be conditions established to introduce blocking measures due to the extensive amount of access to online gambling sites and the continued proliferation of unlicensed online gambling sites. Under the proposed framework, telecommunications providers will be required to block access to the identified illegal sites.
In addition to potential blocking of access, the framework raises concerns surrounding privacy issues because telecommunications providers will be required to monitor the internet traffic of individual users to determine if a user is attempting to access a blocked internet site, thus raising concerns about surveillance and potentially violating communications privacy under Japanese law.
Experts have emphasized that these risks must be evaluated very carefully and this report considers the use of internet blocking as a last resort.
Joji Shishido, said:
Blocking websites is the final button to be pressed within the overall effort to eliminate harm caused by online casinos. If the measure is to be implemented, the government needs to take a much more serious approach to building the necessary system.
Japan has already introduced alternative measures, including banning social media promotion of illegal casinos and working with foreign jurisdictions to limit access. These steps have shown “a certain degree of effectiveness,” according to the report, though access to offshore sites remains widespread.
Data from Blask indicates that interest in online gambling may already be declining. User activity dropped significantly throughout 2025 and into early 2026, alongside a fall in estimated market revenue, suggesting that demand could be cooling even before stricter controls are introduced.
