In a recent report by the Internet Hotline Center (IHC), commissioned by the National Police Agency, an alarming total of 3,253 illegal online casino-related instances were identified between September and December of the previous year. The IHC has the authority to request the deletion of truly illegal content by contacting internet service providers; however, they noted that there has been slow progress in the removal of these violations. This raised concerns about the growing societal issue of online gambling addiction, leading to increased scrutiny of affiliates who profit from promoting such content.

Changing legal landscapes have placed additional emphasis on regulating online casinos in Japan, particularly with the enforcement of the revised Basic Law on Gambling Addiction Countermeasures, which prohibited advertising effective September 25 of the previous year. The IHC has since classified all online casino promotions as illegal within the context of this updated framework. Following this legality change, they issued deletion requests for 272 cases of domestic illegal promotions, resulting in nearly 40% being successfully removed.

Conversely, the vast majority of illegal content related to online casinos, approximately 2,971 instances, originated from abroad. The report highlighted a complex issue where only 496 of these cases could be deleted due to legal variations in other countries where online casinos are permitted. This indicates the limitations of law enforcement as they grapple with international laws and rising illegal online activities that may continue to proliferate without stricter controls and international cooperation.