There is much speculation that the Japanese government wants to ease restrictions that it has in place on sports betting.
According to AsiaNews.Network, the Economy, Trade and Industry Minister, Koichi Hagiuda has drafted a proposal to lift restrictions, although he has publicly stated that there are no moves in place to realize the proposal immediately.
It is assumed that the Japanese government wants to increase revenues from advertising to boost its local sports industry. Several years ago, plans were set in motion to expand the sports market from 5.5 trillion JPY in 2015 to 15 trillion JPY by 2025.
The proposal will be heavily opposed by multiple parties, with reasons ranging from fears of gambling addiction to fears of match fixing in sports.
The Ministry has said that it will meet with the Sports Agency to review the idea of lifting restrictions.
As per Minister Hagiuda: “We’ll resume discussions, taking into account changes in the structure of the global sports industry due to the COVID-19 pandemic and digitalization, but when to start the discussions and what to discuss is not yet decided.”
Proponents say that the revenue generated from gambling could be used to promote sports and to cover the cost of club activities in Japanese schools.
However, opponents such as Motohiro Ohashi said that it would be “outrageous if children’s club activities were used as the basis to promote the legalization of sports betting.”
