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Read Full BioYuuki Yoda, the Japanese actress, model, and former Nogizaka46 member, has admitted to losing around $20,400 on a single bet during her first visit to an overseas casino.
The Japanese media outlet News.jp reported that Yoda confessed to losing the money during a TV interview with veteran entertainer Shinya Ueda, one half of the comedy duo Cream Stew.
The 25-year-old star said she took a two-month break after leaving Nogizaka46 in February via the group’s “graduation” system.
Nogizaka46 is one of Japan’s most popular all-female pop collectives. It has a large fan base, both in Asia and beyond.
Yuuki Yoda Makes Online Casino Joke During Talk Show Appearance
Yoda said that during her break, she traveled abroad, visiting destinations including the United States, Phuket in Thailand, and South Korea. She also ventured to Japan’s Atami and returned to her native city of Fukuoka.
When the host asked her where she had the most fun, the star she that she had enjoyed her “first ever visit to a casino.”
Her interlocutor asked her jokingly if the casino was “online or offline,” a reference to recent controversies surrounding entertainment stars visiting online casinos.
Visiting online casinos from Japanese territory is illegal. In recent months, several top-level entertainers (including JO1 member Shion Tsurubo) have been convicted of related offenses.
Yoda replied, also jokingly, that the casino in question was online, to which Ueda responded with laughter.
Japanese Star: ‘I Lost 3 Million Yen in a Flash’
Yoda went on to explain that the casino was indeed a land-based establishment. She said that, as it was her first visit, she was disoriented by her gambling experience.
The star said: “I didn’t really know how to play, and before I knew it, the game was over. At first, I made lots of money. I think my 100,000 yen [$681] bet turned into about 3 million yen [$20,427].”
But Yoda said that in the excitement, she then went on to bet all the money she had accrued on another round – only to lose the entire lot.
The star recalled: “I put everything I had won down on the next turn. And then it was all gone.”
Ueda and the show’s celebrity panel joked that Yoda was “such a high-stakes gambler.” One of the panelists quipped that Yoda had behaved “just like a millionaire would” in a casino.
