Tim Alper is a journalist who covers betting news and regulation for CasinoBeats. He joined the CasinoBeats team in May 2025. He reports on breaking news and developments in the world of betting, casinos, and...
Read Full BioPolice in Japan’s Aomori Prefecture have charged a serving police officer with habitual gambling on online slots and real-time baccarat games.
The Japanese media outlet Amori TV reported on September 11 that the prefecture’s police force had handed the case over to local prosecutors.
The force did not disclose the officer’s name, but identified him as “a male police sergeant aged in his 30s who works at a police station in the Tsugaru region.”
The sergeant has made a full confession, saying that he is “sorry” for his actions, the Aomori force told reporters.
A police spokesperson said the sergeant placed “approximately 400 bets on overseas online casino sites” during work hours between January 2024 and April 2025.
The sergeant also made 94 deposits and withdrawals on the platforms, worth a total of around 5.3 million yen ($35,833), using his smartphone, also during working hours.
Police: Habitual Gambling Discovered While Investigating Another Case
Aomori police said they discovered the sergeant’s gambling activities “during the investigation of another incident.”
The prosecution service initially imposed a three-month suspension order, but the spokesperson says that the sergeant now intends to “voluntarily resign” from his post.
The spokesperson stated that the sergeant admitted to the charges during an internal questioning session, confessing to his interviewers that he regretted his actions.
Gambling on overseas casino platforms from Japanese territory is a criminal offense. Recently approved legislation will soon introduce jail terms for habitual online casino users.
Yokohama Court Case Begins
Elsewhere in the country, the media outlet TVK reported that the trial of Shintaro Takemoto (38), a Tokyo-based man suspected of processing payment for a large online casino group, has begun at the Yokohama District Court.
Takemoto has admitted to helping process a total of approximately 53 million yen ($358,190) from online casinos on six separate occasions between May and June 2024.
The prosecution service told the court that he had posed as a contractor “to make it seem that the transfers were legitimate.”
Prosecutors allege a criminal group paid Takemoto 11.97 million yen ($80,890) for his services. The next trial hearing is scheduled for October 28.
Earlier this month, the same court ordered bailiffs to confiscate a Tokyo high-rise apartment allegedly bought using funds that originated from illegal casino platforms.
