Japan arrests man for gambling

[Sanitough]

this from the OP...

Chomabayashi, a company employee based in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, allegedly participated in extensive illegal gambling using the crypto-friendly online casino platform Stake, with activity dating back to August 2022 and continuing until April 2025. Authorities say that he personally wagered at least 90 million yen ($625,500), mostly on games such as baccarat.

Didn’t Stake implement KYC for all its users just last year?

So if gambling is illegal in Japan, then technically, Stake shouldn’t be allowing Japanese citizens to gamble on their platform.

That’s what’s confusing me. If this situation gets investigated more deeply, Stake could end up being implicated especially if it's proven they’re accepting bets from countries where gambling is banned. After all, with KYC in place, they should know exactly where their users are from.

[TelolettOm]

But in Japan, the regulation on gambling is like that.
based on what I read here:
https://iclg.com/practice-areas/gambling-laws-and-regulations/japan

Online gambling is prohibited like Casino gaming, Poker, Bingo. Except for betting on horse races, bicycle races, motorcycle races, and the like that are in accordance with the regulations. And there are several regulations on betting or other sports gambling.

Well here the person is doing online betting, moreover he did it very conspicuously, so that the Japanese authorities noticed. because this violates their regulations, of course he will get sanctions.

If gambling was illegal in your country, would you still gamble?

Gambling is illegal and prohibited in my country, both online and offline gambling.
However, there are many people who still gamble both online and offline, of course illegally. This means that there are many sweeps related to gambling both online and offline. If caught, you will be punished.

This means that if you want to gamble, you must be aware that this is against the rules and be ready for all the risks.

[Hispo]

this from the OP...

Chomabayashi, a company employee based in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, allegedly participated in extensive illegal gambling using the crypto-friendly online casino platform Stake, with activity dating back to August 2022 and continuing until April 2025. Authorities say that he personally wagered at least 90 million yen ($625,500), mostly on games such as baccarat.

Didn’t Stake implement KYC for all its users just last year?

So if gambling is illegal in Japan, then technically, Stake shouldn’t be allowing Japanese citizens to gamble on their platform.

That’s what’s confusing me. If this situation gets investigated more deeply, Stake could end up being implicated especially if it's proven they’re accepting bets from countries where gambling is banned. After all, with KYC in place, they should know exactly where their users are from.

Well, to be honest the KYC and AML systems of online casinos are not entirely flawless either, since there are made by people who could miss some loophole which can be taken advantage of by some gambler to partake from countries where gambling is banned.
Considering the sheer amount of money he was willing to wager online, it would not be surprising if that man somehow ended up paying someone to submit their papers in his behalf, and using some premium VPN in order to conceal his location from the staff of the casino.

I have seen there is a dedicated market for people who are willing to sell their online identity and their KYC data for some money, so people can access to services like casinos, exchanges and online markets. Not long ago there were people being offered up to 50$ for pictures of their documents and their faces, so third parties could start accounts on some specific exchanges. Even Binance made an article about such phenomenon.

[Woodie]

Japan and their strick rule's, anyway we humans are difficult to manage and if order is what we want then things need to be like this to archive that goal.

Wait a second, is it not Japan that use to arrest people for having Bitcoin and the alik, someone snitchs on you then you are gone .. this was in the early days btw not now .. Japan wants everything airtight.

Otherwise if you know such rules exist in your jurisdiction please choose freedom over this entertainment, unless you make lots of money that can buy you that freedom.

[SATWAT]

If gambling was illegal in your country, would you still gamble?

Why the government should be the one to let me know if I should gamble or not? Luckily for me gambling is legal in my country. In countries that ban gambling, this is what will be the result. There will be some people that will do it illegally. Even in the Japan, there will be illegal gambling there.

It is really absurd that countries ban gambling for their own people and make decisions for people. Gambling is a completely personal choice. Instead of banning it, they can try to make people aware, for example, there are many countries that ban it the easy way. It is not acceptable to have only licensed casinos given by the state and completely under state control, in fact, this is what happens in many countries, in the countries I know.

Despite having democracy or good records in human rights things are shocking because I also never have this gambling is banned in Japan but now after reading few things I understand they are allowing this in few things like sports betting and lottery.
While many other casino games are banned which is not new because its decades things are going through and this person arrested as he spends huge amount which is surely crossing limits as well so always need to stay under limit and also have respect of law good for anyone.
Here in our country its also illegal with usually police arrested many for this as well but still it's going for years even now due to online stuff its having much better features and advance technology which is helping peoples and companies, but mostly peoples are doing this stuff under limits because they understand consequences of crossing limit.

[Outhue]

Japanese law enforcement has arrested a 38-year-old man in what is being called the largest individual online gambling case in the country’s history. The suspect, Makoto Chomabayashi, is accused of placing bets totaling 28 billion yen (approximately $194 million) through an international gambling website, far exceeding previous records for individual wagering activity in Japan.

At first, I was like what is the illegal part here? Yes he gambled huge amounts of money but there were no signs of money laundering. I was confused until it was mentioned that gambling is illegal in Japan. Gambling is generally banned in Japan with a few exceptions. Chomabayashi also acted as a casino affiliate using his social media accounts to refer users to the casino. He said that he did all of this since he thought that he would never get caught. But he was publicly working for an online casino so I do not know why he would think that he would not be caught by the authorities. It is ridiculous to me to be fined just for gambling but if that is the rules of your country.... you would have to follow.

If gambling was illegal in your country, would you still gamble?

His case is different, he is working for a casino not just gambling, if the casino is been tracked or suspected to be rendering services for the people of Japan then it can be traced back, Japan is high on tech too just like China so even your VPN can't hide your ass always.

If my country put a ban on gambling I can still risk gambling using VPN because the tech sucks here, the first step is to avoid all online casinos that's located in my country and use the ones from outside country than connect via VPN and start gambling.

I am going to do this because I know how worse our technology is over here, nobody will know that I am gambling, I remember when they put ban on Bitcoin I still kept accumulating Bitcoin buying from platforms with no KYC requirements, today they lift the ban, just imagine if I quit.

[AbuBhakar]

Japanese law enforcement has arrested a 38-year-old man in what is being called the largest individual online gambling case in the country’s history. The suspect, Makoto Chomabayashi, is accused of placing bets totaling 28 billion yen (approximately $194 million) through an international gambling website, far exceeding previous records for individual wagering activity in Japan.

At first, I was like what is the illegal part here? Yes he gambled huge amounts of money but there were no signs of money laundering. I was confused until it was mentioned that gambling is illegal in Japan. Gambling is generally banned in Japan with a few exceptions. Chomabayashi also acted as a casino affiliate using his social media accounts to refer users to the casino. He said that he did all of this since he thought that he would never get caught. But he was publicly working for an online casino so I do not know why he would think that he would not be caught by the authorities. It is ridiculous to me to be fined just for gambling but if that is the rules of your country.... you would have to follow.

If gambling was illegal in your country, would you still gamble?

Japan is known to be strict on their laws so I'm wondering what pushed Chomabayashi to commit what he did. He got consumed by the potential reward of his wrongdoings thinking that he wouldn't be caught by the authorities. He didn't thought at all the risk of his plan even if he think it was just a small chance to happen.

If it was me then no. I would not risk my security just to satisfy my habit. But to people with a gambling habit, they will always find a way to gamble. Gambling casinos are very accessible now in our digital age. Even if a website is restricted to that particular country ,there are ways to bypass it through the use of some tools like VPN or proxies.

[sompitonov]

Japanese law enforcement has arrested a 38-year-old man in what is being called the largest individual online gambling case in the country’s history. The suspect, Makoto Chomabayashi, is accused of placing bets totaling 28 billion yen (approximately $194 million) through an international gambling website, far exceeding previous records for individual wagering activity in Japan.

At first, I was like what is the illegal part here? Yes he gambled huge amounts of money but there were no signs of money laundering. I was confused until it was mentioned that gambling is illegal in Japan. Gambling is generally banned in Japan with a few exceptions. Chomabayashi also acted as a casino affiliate using his social media accounts to refer users to the casino. He said that he did all of this since he thought that he would never get caught. But he was publicly working for an online casino so I do not know why he would think that he would not be caught by the authorities. It is ridiculous to me to be fined just for gambling but if that is the rules of your country.... you would have to follow.

If gambling was illegal in your country, would you still gamble?

Japan is known to be strict on their laws so I'm wondering what pushed Chomabayashi to commit what he did. He got consumed by the potential reward of his wrongdoings thinking that he wouldn't be caught by the authorities. He didn't thought at all the risk of his plan even if he think it was just a small chance to happen.

If it was me then no. I would not risk my security just to satisfy my habit. But to people with a gambling habit, they will always find a way to gamble. Gambling casinos are very accessible now in our digital age. Even if a website is restricted to that particular country ,there are ways to bypass it through the use of some tools like VPN or proxies.

I think he just felt impunity, because such an illusory idea over time and the more a player is not detained, the more he thinks that this will not happen. In any case, I do not understand why he wrote that he would never be detained and tempted fate, you should never brag about such things, because such appeals on social networks on the contrary attract unnecessary attention. In addition, he played for large sums, which also attracts attention, in short, he was too self-confident and self-assured, and in the modern world you can not be like that, sometimes you have to question something.

[hedgeh0g]

I think he just felt impunity, because such an illusory idea over time and the more a player is not detained, the more he thinks that this will not happen. In any case, I do not understand why he wrote that he would never be detained and tempted fate, you should never brag about such things, because such appeals on social networks on the contrary attract unnecessary attention. In addition, he played for large sums, which also attracts attention, in short, he was too self-confident and self-assured, and in the modern world you can not be like that, sometimes you have to question something.

I just benefit from such stories in such cases, because if you don't do it, you can repeat it, even if you are not in Japan, but in other countries. Of course, he is not the last one and the same players will continue to brag about their winnings or that nothing will ever happen to them. You have to be a fool to test the strength of responsible organizations that have obligations. Because at one point they will simply take advantage of these obligations and at the same time show everyone else that this cannot be done, so that this will be a lesson for others.

[Fortify]

Japanese law enforcement has arrested a 38-year-old man in what is being called the largest individual online gambling case in the country’s history. The suspect, Makoto Chomabayashi, is accused of placing bets totaling 28 billion yen (approximately $194 million) through an international gambling website, far exceeding previous records for individual wagering activity in Japan.

At first, I was like what is the illegal part here? Yes he gambled huge amounts of money but there were no signs of money laundering. I was confused until it was mentioned that gambling is illegal in Japan. Gambling is generally banned in Japan with a few exceptions. Chomabayashi also acted as a casino affiliate using his social media accounts to refer users to the casino. He said that he did all of this since he thought that he would never get caught. But he was publicly working for an online casino so I do not know why he would think that he would not be caught by the authorities. It is ridiculous to me to be fined just for gambling but if that is the rules of your country.... you would have to follow.

If gambling was illegal in your country, would you still gamble?

It sounds like it was just a matter of time for the authorities to catch up to him, if he was doing such a huge volume of transactions you just know that there are plenty of other smaller fish doing something similar. It's a dangerous field for someone acting as an illegal representative, as with anything where money is involved, because there will be a portion of gamblers who get super upset and angry that they lost money - subsequently reporting this person as an act of revenge. This guy would have known full well that it was illegal but probably made quite handsome commission off of this volume, so maybe don't feel too sympathetic towards him. I might still gamble if it was illegal, but this wasn't targeting a gambler, it was targeting a bookmaker.

[btc_angela]

this from the OP...

Chomabayashi, a company employee based in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, allegedly participated in extensive illegal gambling using the crypto-friendly online casino platform Stake, with activity dating back to August 2022 and continuing until April 2025. Authorities say that he personally wagered at least 90 million yen ($625,500), mostly on games such as baccarat.

Didn’t Stake implement KYC for all its users just last year?

So if gambling is illegal in Japan, then technically, Stake shouldn’t be allowing Japanese citizens to gamble on their platform.

That’s what’s confusing me. If this situation gets investigated more deeply, Stake could end up being implicated especially if it's proven they’re accepting bets from countries where gambling is banned. After all, with KYC in place, they should know exactly where their users are from.

Only Stake can answer that, nevertheless, I don't think that it will hit their reputation though. We all know that tough Japanese law is as far as online gambling goes. So I'm not surprised that he be arrested with this "crime".

And it just shows though that countries are still very serious in terms of protecting their population from gambling. I know that there are a lot of Japanese gamblers as I have observed them in land base casinos. Maybe that is one way to really do it, get out of the country. But this man really take the risk and not only did he lose his money, but his freedom as well.

[Patikno]

In fact, in my country all forms of gambling are illegal, but it can be said that most of the population still gambles. In my country gambling was once legal, but for some reason it is no longer allowed. I personally still gamble even though it is prohibited in my country, but I still play it safe when gambling, so I will not have problems with the law. However, I feel that every gambling that is done is the right of every individual, so the government should not interfere with this problem, or perhaps it should limit the number of people who gamble in each game, so that people can gamble safely and even the government can monitor its people, without having to play secretly.

[Kelward]

It is good to be law abiding because it's not easy to fight a government, if gambling is illegal in your country it's better to endure the urge as a gambler in such a country. As a person that loves gambling you can move to a country where gambling is legal, although it sounds weird that somebody will change country because of gambling. But what makes you happy should matter in your life and if you love gambling that much then it's worth changing a country for. I'm really surprised that an advanced country like Japan, will ban gambling, I don't know if they're very religious because I understand that countries that bans gambling are mainly on religious grounds.

[bakasabo]

Japanese law enforcement has arrested a 38-year-old man in what is being called the largest individual online gambling case in the country’s history. The suspect, Makoto Chomabayashi, is accused of placing bets totaling 28 billion yen (approximately $194 million) through an international gambling website, far exceeding previous records for individual wagering activity in Japan.

At first, I was like what is the illegal part here? Yes he gambled huge amounts of money but there were no signs of money laundering. I was confused until it was mentioned that gambling is illegal in Japan. Gambling is generally banned in Japan with a few exceptions. Chomabayashi also acted as a casino affiliate using his social media accounts to refer users to the casino. He said that he did all of this since he thought that he would never get caught. But he was publicly working for an online casino so I do not know why he would think that he would not be caught by the authorities. It is ridiculous to me to be fined just for gambling but if that is the rules of your country.... you would have to follow.

If gambling was illegal in your country, would you still gamble?

That is a weird part. He was working illegally or he was working for a foreign gambling company (is this legal in Japan?). Another thing that looks weird for me - he was 38. At such age a person is familiar with local laws. Third strange thing - that he did not think that he was doing something wrong during all these years. Not a single doubt thought. Why would not he consulted someone who is good with finance and laws?

[Versatile_choice]

At first, I was like what is the illegal part here? Yes he gambled huge amounts of money but there were no signs of money laundering. I was confused until it was mentioned that gambling is illegal in Japan. Gambling is generally banned in Japan with a few exceptions. Chomabayashi also acted as a casino affiliate using his social media accounts to refer users to the casino. He said that he did all of this since he thought that he would never get caught. But he was publicly working for an online casino so I do not know why he would think that he would not be caught by the authorities. It is ridiculous to me to be fined just for gambling but if that is the rules of your country.... you would have to follow.

If gambling was illegal in your country, would you still gamble?

If gambling is made illegal in my country, of course i will just Stick to that rules. Perhaps this is going to reduce the rate of addicted gamblers, secondly is going to help most guys from spending unnecessarily as they will be thinking of putting thier money into something profiting like (business/ investment) rather than losing thier hard earned money to gamble, that's in my opinion I don't know about others if this will make some sense if they happens to be a citizen of such country.

[Cossyblack]

If gambling was illegal in your country, would you still gamble?

The truth is,I can't stop gambling and for the fact that I am a full grown adult gives me the rights to decide how I spend my money. I don't care about the law,it's my money involved here and not the government . What the govt should be concentrating on, is to improve the standard of living of her citizens and not dictating/making the worst out of it. 

Gambling is all fun and doesn't affect the peace of any country,a lot of citizens like myself have been benefiting from it. If my country happens to ban it,I will still find other ways of continuing my betting secretly without getting caught. I believe when you don't over do it, the government will not spot you.

[EarnOnVictor]

Japanese law enforcement has arrested a 38-year-old man in what is being called the largest individual online gambling case in the country’s history. The suspect, Makoto Chomabayashi, is accused of placing bets totaling 28 billion yen (approximately $194 million) through an international gambling website, far exceeding previous records for individual wagering activity in Japan.

At first, I was like what is the illegal part here? Yes he gambled huge amounts of money but there were no signs of money laundering. I was confused until it was mentioned that gambling is illegal in Japan. Gambling is generally banned in Japan with a few exceptions. Chomabayashi also acted as a casino affiliate using his social media accounts to refer users to the casino.

The ¥28b is huge, not to mention wagering that sum, thereby breaking the historic record of wagering in Japan. He has drawn the attention of the authority to himself and I see it as an affront to the government, something he could have been doing gradually. Also, his affiliation with a casino is another suspicion, people are using casinos to launder money and you might not know the extent of the government's investigation before the arrest. He did all these when gambling is not 100% legal in Japan, he put it upon himself.

If gambling was illegal in your country, would you still gamble?

Nope!

[fuguebtc]

It is good to be law abiding because it's not easy to fight a government, if gambling is illegal in your country it's better to endure the urge as a gambler in such a country. As a person that loves gambling you can move to a country where gambling is legal, although it sounds weird that somebody will change country because of gambling. But what makes you happy should matter in your life and if you love gambling that much then it's worth changing a country for. I'm really surprised that an advanced country like Japan, will ban gambling, I don't know if they're very religious because I understand that countries that bans gambling are mainly on religious grounds.

If your country bans bitcoin and cryptocurrencies, would you obey the law and stop investing? I don't encourage anyone to break the law but I think if it's not too bad and we're not harming anyone . We can also engage in gambling quietly, and that is also a better solution than having to change countries just for a small hobby.

As far as I know, gambling is banned in Japan because it is a tradition that has existed for hundreds of years . They banned gambling in 689 AD under  Emperor Jito. In addition , Japan is known as a developed country but very strict about security and social order, so I am not surprised that they ban gambling.

[Dr.Bitcoin_Strange]

Gambling is legal in my country but if maybe I am in a country that gambling is banned and I still find a way to gamble at the online casino, first before do so, I have to be aware if the consequences of my actions will be severe or light and if not that bad, I can continue to gamble at the online casino but I will be on a low, so that I don't bring attention to myself that will cause the government to find out. In the case of that victim, he must have done something that really let him to be exposed and it's been a long time he started gambling but no body knew.

[lovesmayfamilis]

To completely ban gambling, the government needs to ban all casino sites, as well as all VPN sites. Although some casinos themselves do not allow the use of VPNs, some VPNs are very difficult to track, so the question is whether the government will be able to ban everything. If not, then those who do not think about bans will try to use one way or another to achieve what they want. Of course, those who bet millions of dollars in casinos do not seem normal, since their illusion of not being caught, in addition to the huge amount of the bet, clearly requires medical help. Some people sometimes lose touch with reality, thinking that the virtual world of the Internet is what really and only exists.