Japanese Man Faces 5 Years in Prison for Gambling Online

• Makoto Chomabayashi faces five years in prison for gambling in an online casino, which is illegal in Japan
• Three years is the maximum for his gambling, then another two for acting as a casino affiliate
• Chomabayashi is believed to have gambled $194 million, the largest sum ever gambled by an individual in the country

A 38-year-old Tokyo man faces up to five years in prison for gambling online, which is illegal in Japan. According to the Japanese media outlet the Asahi, Makoto Chomabayashi, a company worker from Fukushima Prefecture, had gambled 28 billion yen (about $194 million) since August 2022, which Japanese police believe to be the largest sum ever wagered by an individual in the country.

Chomabayashi — who is believed to have lost more than $270K to his gambling habit — bet mostly on baccarat using the international casino site Stake. Operated by Medium Rare N.V., Stake is licensed in Curaçao, an island country off the coast of Venezuela.

Chomabayashi is also charged with acting as a “casino affiliate,” promoting Stake in exchange for a 2% cut of wagers placed by his followers. Police say he sent more than 100 people to the online casino, earning about $48K in commission.

Chomabayashi faces a maximum of five years imprisonment for the combined charge. If charged only with habitual gambling, the maximum is three years. According to reports, his sentence will likely be mitigated by his cooperation and lack of prior criminal history.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department says Chomabayashi admitted knowing that online gambling was illegal in Japan but that he didn’t think he would get caught, though he posted on X (under the alias “Meikyoshisui,” a Japanese phrase meaning “clear mirror, still water”)  whenever he won.

“News reports said there were hundreds of thousands of players in Japan, so I thought I was only the tip of the iceberg,” the Asahi quotes Chomabayashi as saying.

Based on figures from a National Police Agency survey in Japan, 3.37 million Japanese citizens have used online casinos — with bets totaling more than $8 billion per year. The study also revealed that up to 40% of users were not aware that online gambling was illegal in Japan.

In response, the Japanese government has revised its policies on illegal gambling, cracking down harder and with harsher penalties targeting affiliate marketers and third-party payment processors. According to the NPA, 279 Japanese citizens were arrested for online casino activity last year, a 160% increase over 2023.