Japan Arrests 3 on Gambling Money Laundering Charges

Police in Osaka, Japan announced this week that they've arrested three people suspected of laundering money that was used for the purposes of online gambling.

The three arrested ranged in age between 40 and 41 and were business executives in the area. They were found to have gotten roughly ¥4.9 billion ($35 million USD) deposited into their accounts, which was generated from 10,000 punters who gambled on iGaming sites overseas. The transactions started in March 2022 and came in more than 140,000 times before they were stopped. In the end, ¥2.9 billion was paid back to players, while ¥2 billion was considered profits for the casino. 1-2% of that total went to the defendants.

The three defendants weren't linked, but had their own business operations running the scheme.

Gambling remains largely illegal in Japan, save for pachinko parlours. There are plans to legalize gambling in the country, with select casinos possibly to open in Osaka among other locales.

No comment from law enforcement or those charged was available at press time.