Japan

JRA keeps WINS Yatsushiro shut after Kumamoto earthquake and pledges ¥16 million in relief

Aug 12, 2026

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2 min read

JRA keeps WINS Yatsushiro shut after Kumamoto earthquake and pledges ¥16 million in relief

The Japan Racing Association suspended operations at its Yatsushiro off-track betting facility for two consecutive weekends as the region deals with the aftermath of the July 28 earthquake.

Adrià Mas

Japan

Toyomaru Stops Making Pachinko Machines After Six Decades

Aug 9, 2026

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3 min read

Toyomaru Stops Making Pachinko Machines After Six Decades

The company behind Nanasy has ended its pachinko operations as Japan’s traditional machine market continues to contract—even while pachislot shows signs of resilience.

Adrià Mas

Japan

Aug 3, 2026

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3 min read

Street Fighter 6 Enters Japan’s Pachislot Floors

Capcom’s seven-million-selling fighting game becomes a medal-free smart slot, extending the franchise from consoles and esports into one of Japan’s most distinctive forms of entertainment.

Adrià Mas

Japan

Aug 2, 2026

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2 min read

Japan’s US$16 Billion Boat-Racing Market Reaches the Ocean Cup Final

Six boats will race across Lake Biwa on Sunday. Behind them sits one of Japan’s largest—and least internationally understood—legal betting industries.

Adrià Mas

Japan

Jul 16, 2026

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2 min read

Japan Made Online Casino Promotion a Crime. The First Affiliates Are Being Arrested.

The law has been on the books since September 2025. In early 2026 it started to bite — and the first targets are the affiliates, streamers and "guaranteed-win" communities that recruit players.

Adrià Mas

Japan

Jul 10, 2026

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2 min read

Japan's Second Casino License Is Open. Nobody Has Raised Their Hand.

Fifteen companies told Aichi they were interested in its airport-island resort. When the formal window opened, none stepped forward — and the prefecture just extended its deadlines.

Adrià Mas

Japan

Pachinko Wants Your Credit Card. Tokyo Says No.

Jul 7, 2026

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3 min read

Pachinko Wants Your Credit Card. Tokyo Says No.

Japan's last all-cash gambling industry is finally trying to modernize — and running straight into the government's own war on gambling addiction. The fix may quietly reopen a door regulators spent years closing.

Adrià Mas

Japan

JRA keeps WINS Yatsushiro shut after Kumamoto earthquake and pledges ¥16 million in relief

Toyomaru Stops Making Pachinko Machines After Six Decades

Street Fighter 6 Enters Japan’s Pachislot Floors

Japan’s US$16 Billion Boat-Racing Market Reaches the Ocean Cup Final

Japan Made Online Casino Promotion a Crime. The First Affiliates Are Being Arrested.

Japan's Second Casino License Is Open. Nobody Has Raised Their Hand.

Pachinko Wants Your Credit Card. Tokyo Says No.

East Asia iGaming Report