‘Gambling epidemic’? Japan weighs new law to tackle illegal betting via online casinos

Japan is considering new legislation to tackle the booming but illegal use of overseas online casinos, as high-profile scandals involving baseball stars and comedians expose what observers call a “shocking” lack of public awareness about the law.While gambling is technically illegal in Japan, the government does permit a limited amount of betting on strictly controlled events, such as horse racing, boat and bicycle races and the lottery, with the profits being returned directly to the government.For committed gamblers, however, yakuza groups have traditionally been able to arrange underground betting on cards, roulette and other illegal games.But those lucrative sources of