Photo/Illutration Vera & John’s free gaming site, left, and its casino site (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

The word “casino”—derived from “casa” which means “house” in Italian—is said to have originated in Venice during the medieval period.

Venetian authorities, wishing to keep gambling from the masses, urged aristocrats who indulged in gambling to do so only in their small cottages called “cazzini,” according to “Setting Limits: Gambling, Science, and Public Policy,” a book co-authored by Pekka Sulkunen, a sociologist in Finland.

Seven centuries have elapsed since, and the arrival of online casinos today has enabled the masses to gamble illegally anytime on handheld smartphones, bypassing brick-and-mortar casinos.

In its first fact-finding survey of online casinos, the National Police Agency found that an estimated 3.37 million people in Japan have used them, and that about 1.2423 trillion yen ($8.29 billion) in bets are placed annually.

Even though these internet casinos are based in nations where betting is legal, anyone placing a wager from Japan is guilty of illegal betting.

However, most online casino sites do not clearly indicate this fact, and the NPA noted that nearly 40 percent of survey respondents said they were “not aware” that they were breaking the law.

Moreover, many respondents said they did not suspect any wrongdoing because Japan has “pachinko parlors and publicly managed betting” on racing events.

The above fact may be one of the reasons why online casino operators overseas view Japanese people as “easy targets.”

Blocking access to the online casinos is considered a solution to the problem, but its efficacy has been questioned by some experts who argue that these obstructions can be easily circumvented.

In addition, it would require tremendous manpower and work to update the lists concerned.

According to the NPA survey, most of the respondents who had tried online casinos were in their 20s or 30s.

What if young people just go along with what the ads say and become hooked? They may then lie to borrow money and wind up becoming addicted to gambling.

How easy it is to ruin their lives. The one sure way to avoid that is to just stay clear of online casinos.

—The Asahi Shimbun, March 18

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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