Basketball Betting Finally Legalized by Japanese Regulators
One of Japan’s most popular sports, basketball, now has a plethora of online betting options as regulators changed laws preventing any related gambling avenues. The country’s lawmakers published a report detailing changes to the current sportsbook structure, the most important of notions related to a resolution to the sport betting restrictions currently imposed. For the first time in Japanese history, punters will be able to engage with basketball from a live casino point of view. It’s a big moment for their gambling industry, and several other Asian nations are expected to follow suit soon after.
Japanese regulators have finally relinquished control of the basketball betting market and are allowing users to punt on the sport as of this week. This will be the first time in the country’s history where basketball-related gambling has been authorized. The reaction to the news has been overwhelmingly positive. ©angel4leon/Pixabay
Basketball is one of Japan’s most beloved sports and has been for decades. Since the arrival of the NBA in 1946, the country’s around the world have flocked to view one of America’s greatest sporting competitions. Even in a turbulent time just after the brutal Pacific War, Japan couldn’t get enough of the game. While the NBA is still incredibly popular in cities such as Tokyo and Osaka, they established the B1 League in 2016 as the Japanese surrogate to the American event.
The B1 league draws some of the largest spectator crowds in Japan; the Arena Tachikawa Tachihi is one of Tokyo’s most iconic sporting venues and was even used in the Summer Olympics for basketball, netball, and badminton. Now for the first time in the country’s history, spectators will be able to bet on live events and enjoy the competitive atmosphere off the court. While it might seem a commonality for many other countries, Japan-only established their league five years ago and has some figurative catching up.
The Summer Olympics are one of the biggest events in the world. Every country tunes in to watch the drama of events ranging from athletics to the newly entered skateboarding, where Japan’s Yuto Horigome claimed the first-ever skateboarding street event gold medal. Betting numbers for the games were some of the biggest ever seen. During the summer, online betting soared across the world with multiple sporting events co aligning, not to mention the European Championships, which cultivated a massive increase in online gambling.
While Japanese users can bet on individual games and many other variables, the government has also introduced a sporting lottery that functions similarly to any other ballot system. The Japan Sporting Council (JSC) will offer a new type of gambling for viable players who want to help fund the sport itself and take less risk when doing so. A percentage of the profits from sporting lotteries are used to directly support grassroots sport, promoting basketball, football, and many other activities to younger audiences.
How Have the Japanese Public Reacted?
It’s safe to say that the lifting of basketball betting restrictions has been one of the most positively received acts ever from the country’s regulators. Due to the pandemic, they’ve had a tough time with funding and recently called upon the Japanese government to provide financial aid to support the casino industry after a difficult economic year. Ever since the B1 League was founded, consumers have been crying out for betting options, and over five years later, their wish is granted.
With the introduction of basketball betting, the B1 League are set to undergo a new advertising campaign to help promote new gambling options to consumers at matches and through social media. Japan is a very technologically driven society, and connections between marketing and online branding aren’t stronger anywhere in the world than in Japan. Only time will tell on how successful it will be, but regulators are hopeful they can reach a new audience by partnering with Production I.G, who produced the anime adaptation of Kuroko no Basuke, one of the most successful basketball-related anime ever.
The Japanese Casino and Gambling Association hope to drive sales and economic activity by relinquishing control of several online betting avenues starting with basketball. Due to the success of this instance, it’s very likely regulators will aim to do the same for sports such as baseball, football and even hockey to help rejuvenate the Japanese sportsbook industry. There’s no telling what they will do next, but many fans are excited for the future of Japan’s gambling system.
