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Japan’s National Police Agency reports 196 online casino arrests in 2025

Enforcement & compliance

Japan’s National Police Agency reported 196 arrests connected to online casinos in 2025, up more than 38% from 2024. The agency also said it arrested 25 people suspected of operating, promoting or processing payments for illegal online casinos, and 165 people for placing bets at illegal gambling venues.

The arrest figures signal intensified enforcement against online casino users and service providers in Japan.

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Enforcement & compliance

Telegram betting channels continue promotions despite Brazil ban

A media investigation found 87 domains offering betting and withdrawals across six Telegram channels, a month after Brazil’s provisional measure prohibited betting platforms. The channels had more than 43 mil subscriptions, and none of the domains ended in .bet.br; the Finance Ministry’s Secretariat of Prizes and Betting said it had blocked more than 47 mil illegal sites since the measure was issued.

Betting channels on Telegram are still advertising games and referral bonuses in Brazil, a month after President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed a provisional measure banning betting platforms, Metrópoles reported. Its investigation found 87 distinct domains advertised in six channels with more than 43 mil subscriptions combined. None of the 87 domains had the ending that had identified federally authorised platforms before the ban.

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