Is online poker legal/permitted in Japan?

[mcg22]

I am thinking of moving to Japan, and wondering if anyone has had any experinces of playing online poker there... Or if anyone knows if its allowed. Strangely I can find nothing through google about this. I really don't want to go if I can't play! Thanks [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]

[MusashiStyle]

i think so.

[killphilNI]

I think a SSNL poster lives in Japan, try asking in the cheese thread.

[JamesAt15]

I don't know the legal status of online poker in Japan. Gambling in general is illegal, so online poker is probably illegal until anyone shows differently.

Practically, though, there have been no problems with online poker in Japan. All sites I know of accept Japanese players, there is no IP blocking to online gambling sites, and Neteller works fine for Japanese residents. Some sites are marketing to the small but growing Japanese player base.

[carlo]

Stars has freerolls for Japanese players.

[scorpion_nz]

I lived there a year or so ago, and I had no problems playing in Japan. I don't think it is illegal to access sites online for gambling - there are offshore bookie sites around that are aimed at Japanese people, and I don't see how online poker is any different to that.

[eviljeff]

[ QUOTE ]
Gambling in general is illegal,

[/ QUOTE ]

really? those damn pachinko places are everywhere

[Wu36]

killian is living in japan iirc

[707782]

Child porns and incest between ma and son is allowed in Jap, why not poker?

[Michael C.]

Gambling is technically illegal in Japan, and online gambling definitely is, but its not enforced and there's no problem. Horse racing is legal, and pachinko is, although technically gambling on pachinko is illegal, and you exchange the balls for presents and then in the back of the parlor you can sell the presents back to them for money. ;-)