Japan

Sep 20, 2026

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3 min read

Japan’s Pachinko Market Is Shrinking. Its Biggest Operators Are Getting Stronger.

Smart pachislot is reviving spending — while the cost of competing is pushing the industry toward fewer, larger operators.

Adrià Mas

Japan

MIXI’s Betting Expansion Tests Its Diversification Strategy

Sep 18, 2026

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2 min read

MIXI’s Betting Expansion Tests Its Diversification Strategy

PointsBet has helped reshape the Japanese group’s revenue. Its earnings remain heavily dependent on digital entertainment, despite growth in domestic wagering.

Adrià Mas

Japan

Universal plans an overseas slot comeback through Nevada

Sep 14, 2026

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1 min read

Universal plans an overseas slot comeback through Nevada

The Japanese group would provide up to US$25 million to UDN Gaming as it seeks growth beyond pachinko and Okada Manila.

Adrià Mas

Japan

Sep 8, 2026

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2 min read

Why New Pachislot Machines Are Struggling to Reach Japan’s Halls

Before a new pachislot machine reaches a Japanese gaming hall, its manufacturer must prove that the cabinet, software and payout behaviour comply with one of the industry’s strictest technical regimes.

Adrià Mas

Japan

JRA Is Expanding Beyond WINS — Without Building Its Own Betting Shops

Sep 2, 2026

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2 min read

JRA Is Expanding Beyond WINS — Without Building Its Own Betting Shops

As traditional off-track sales decline, Japan’s racing giant is extending its reach through venues shared with regional racing, keirin and autoracing.

Adrià Mas

Land-Based Casinos

Osaka Opens Yumeshima Phase 2 to a New Developer

Aug 21, 2026

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2 min read

Osaka Opens Yumeshima Phase 2 to a New Developer

The two-stage proposal covers more than 420,000 square metres of land, with participation screening open through 8 January 2027.

Adrià Mas

Land-Based Casinos

Osaka Is Spending JPY12.4bn This Year to Prepare Yumeshima for Its IR

Aug 20, 2026

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3 min read

Osaka Is Spending JPY12.4bn This Year to Prepare Yumeshima for Its IR

The construction of MGM Osaka is usually presented as a JPY1.513 trillion private investment, approximately USD9.4 billion.

Adrià Mas

Japan

Aug 18, 2026

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4 min read

Too Useful to Ban: How Horse Racing Became Japan’s Acceptable Gamble

Horse betting survived Japan’s prohibition of gambling because racing had already become a national project, a professional sport and an institution the state considered worth preserving.

Adrià Mas

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

Land-Based Casinos

Japan Has Two Casino Licences Left. Hokkaido Is Asking Who Still Wants One.

Jul 28, 2026

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2 min read

Japan Has Two Casino Licences Left. Hokkaido Is Asking Who Still Wants One.

The prefecture abandoned Japan’s first IR round in 2019. Now it is surveying operators, banks and every municipality on the island before the next application window opens.

Adrià Mas

Enforcement

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

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

Land-Based Casinos

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

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

Japan’s Pachinko Market Is Shrinking. Its Biggest Operators Are Getting Stronger.

MIXI’s Betting Expansion Tests Its Diversification Strategy

Universal plans an overseas slot comeback through Nevada

Why New Pachislot Machines Are Struggling to Reach Japan’s Halls

JRA Is Expanding Beyond WINS — Without Building Its Own Betting Shops

Osaka Opens Yumeshima Phase 2 to a New Developer

Osaka Is Spending JPY12.4bn This Year to Prepare Yumeshima for Its IR

Too Useful to Ban: How Horse Racing Became Japan’s Acceptable Gamble

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 Has Two Casino Licences Left. Hokkaido Is Asking Who Still Wants One.

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