Tokyo (Jiji Press) — Gambling addiction through online casinos is becoming a serious problem in Japan, particularly after the COVID-19 crisis began in 2020.

The number of requests for related consultations received by the Society Concerned about the Gambling Addiction, a public interest incorporated association in Tokyo, has increased 11-fold in five years.

Some people picked up “yami baito” illegal part-time jobs offered online, which are also becoming a social problem, to obtain money for gambling, according to the association.

“I feel a sense of crisis over the current situation in which many people are addicted to gambling and commit crimes,” said Noriko Tanaka, head of the association. “Illegal online casinos must be eradicated.”

Of those who sought advice from the association between January and November 2024, 91 said they had family members who gambled at online casinos. Such respondents numbered only eight in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the association, a growing number of people are addicted to gambling through online casinos, which allow players to gamble 24 hours a day in the comfort of their homes using smartphones.

Article continues after this advertisement

A survey by the association found that 30 percent of its 681 responding members said their family members addicted to gambling had committed criminal acts such as embezzlement, theft or yami baito illegal jobs.

Article continues after this advertisement

A son of a woman in her 60s became addicted to gambling when in high school by playing “pachinko” pinball and other games. He changed jobs frequently and began to extort money from the woman.

The son told his mother that he would commit a crime if she did not send him money. She has so far sent him about 10 million yen.

Still, the son applied for a yami baito job and was arrested for robbery resulting in injury. “My mind went blank from shock. My son was a kind child who gave me carnations for Mother’s Day,” she recalled.

“When gambling addiction progresses, it becomes difficult to control behavior,” an association official said, warning that gambling addicts cause serious damage not only to themselves but also their families and colleagues.

The association is asking police to strengthen their crackdowns on payment services operators related to online casinos.