Poker With Crypto From Japan
Gambling is a crime for the player in Japan under the Penal Code, and since September 2025 a law also bans setting up and advertising online casinos.
The short answer
In Japan gambling is a crime for the player as well as the organiser. Article 185 of the Penal Code fines a person who gambles up to 500,000 yen, and article 186 punishes habitual gambling with up to three years in prison. A revision of the law on gambling addiction, in force since September 2025, also bans setting up online casinos and advertising them online. Japan is not on WePlay's list of refused countries, but that does not change Japanese law.
From the sources at the bottom of the page. We are players, not lawyers; this page is what the law and our sources say, not legal advice.
At a glance
- Players
- Penal Code, article 185: a person who gambles is punished by a fine of not more than 500,000 yen or a petty fine. The Japanese text makes an exception only when the stake is a thing for a moment's amusement.
- Habitual gambling
- Article 186: a person who habitually gambles is punished by imprisonment for not more than three years; running a gambling place for profit, by three months to five years.
- The 2025 law
- A revision of the law on gambling addiction, in force since September 2025, bans setting up online casinos, apps included, and posting online advertisements for them, and requires national and local governments to make clear to the public that online gambling is illegal.
- Tax
- We could not confirm how Japan taxes winnings from a foreign poker room.
- The rooms
- Japan is not on WePlay's list of refused countries, and Basepoker's terms name no countries. Japanese law makes the player liable all the same.
A crime for the player
Japan's Penal Code punishes the player directly. Article 185 fines a person who gambles up to 500,000 yen, unless the stake is only a thing for a moment's amusement, and article 186 punishes habitual gambling with up to three years in prison and running a gambling place for profit with three months to five years. Online gambling is illegal in Japan, and well-known people have been arrested for it in recent years.
In September 2025 a revision of the law on gambling addiction took effect that goes after the sites and their promotion as well: it bans setting up online casinos, smartphone apps included, and posting online advertisements for them, social media included, and it requires national and local governments to make clear to the public that online gambling is illegal.
What this means for a reader in Japan
Japan is not on WePlay's list of refused countries, and Basepoker's terms name no countries, but both leave the law of your own country to you, and Japanese law treats gambling at an online casino or poker room as a crime for the player. We do not give advice on getting around that, and we do not describe VPNs.
Our strategy pages, the odds chart and the calculators are free to read anywhere, and none of them needs a deposit.
Time zones
Japan is UTC+9 all year, so a 20:30 start on WePlay's GMT+2 schedule, 18:30 UTC, is 03:30 the next morning in Tokyo. The Tonight page shows every start in UTC.
Sources
- Penal Code of Japan, articles 185 and 186, Japanese Law Translation
- The Japan Times, 24 September 2025: the gambling law revision takes effect
- Gambling in Japan, Wikipedia (the 2025 law against online casinos)
- WePlay terms and conditions, section 2 (the countries it refuses)
- Basepoker terms of service, sections 1.5 and 5 (the player checks the local law)
Read next
Questions
Is online poker legal in Japan?
No. Article 185 of the Penal Code fines a person who gambles up to 500,000 yen, habitual gambling carries up to three years under article 186, and since September 2025 setting up and advertising online casinos is banned too.
Is the player punished in Japan?
Yes. The Penal Code punishes the person who gambles, not only the organiser. The only exception is a stake that is no more than a thing for a moment's amusement.