SAITAMA (TR) – Saitama Prefectural Police on Wednesday arrested a 36-year-old former executive of a Tokyo-based payment processing company and eight others for allegedly facilitating illegal online gambling that took in a staggering 340 billion yen in bets, reports the Mainichi Shimbun (July 15).
Yuta Suzuki, a resident of Nakano Ward and former executive of the Shibuya Ward-based proxy firm Tenmei, was arrested along with eight men and women on suspicion of running a gambling operation for the purpose of gain.
According to police, the company acted as a financial middleman for overseas online casinos, raking in up to 10 billion yen in commissions from the massive cash flow.
The nine suspects are accused of facilitating 44 instances of illegal gambling for six customers between January and April 2025. The six customers have been referred to prosecutors on suspicion of simple gambling. Police have not disclosed whether Suzuki and his associates admit to the charges.
Fictitious corporations
Because it is difficult for gamblers in Japan to wire money directly to offshore casinos, Tenmei allegedly stepped in as a proxy. The syndicate used social media to pay individuals to open bank accounts under the names of fictitious corporations.
Managing an illicit network of at least 500 dummy accounts, the group collected cash from local gamblers and issued them equivalent points to be used for betting on the overseas sites.
The operation had been running since around 2019, funneling roughly 340 billion yen to overseas casino operators while skimming a cut of 1 to 3 percent as their reward, meaning up to around 10 billion yen.
Not acting alone
Investigators believe Suzuki was not acting alone at the top, noting that he received instructions via a highly encrypted messaging app from multiple unidentified individuals. Police suspect these masterminds are directing the operation from overseas and are continuing their probe to dismantle the entire network.
Under the Penal Code, all forms of gambling are illegal in Japan, with the exception of government-operated public sports such as horse, bicycle, motorcycle and boat racing. Accessing and placing bets on overseas online casinos from within Japan is strictly prohibited.
