Looks like Japan Already Had Casinos, Just Not Legal Ones

It seems that the law isn’t enough to halt foreign nationals from indulging in a spot of gambling in Japan, as police raid an illegal casino.

Most interestingly, though, the casino was in the Ghanaian embassy.

As if it wasn’t enough that the embassy of another country was flagrantly breaking Japanese gambling laws, the name of the ambassador himself was emblazoned upon the entrance!

The raid took place on March 5th, but the news has only just come to light, perhaps because of the sensitive nature of those involved. So far, 10 people have been arrested, including the manager, Hiroyuki Yamanoi. The casino was offering illegal games of baccarat, with 2 tables and 12 million yen being seized by the police.

Diplomatic Immunity

Interestingly, one of the men caught in the raid was certain he would not be arrested, saying: “I thought diplomatic immunity was applicable through the Embassy of Ghana, and we would not be caught by the police.”

Unfortunately for him, though, the law completely applied in this case.

With online casinos in Japan a pipe dream, it seems like the Ghanaian ambassador and his staff decided that opening their own casino was the way forward. Witnesses say that the diplomatic regularly visited the casino floor, along with many of his colleagues.

The operation is estimated to have raked more than 200 million yen in the 17 months it was active. Japanese lawmakers will be hoping their own legal casinos will make more than that when they arrive sometime in the next year.

UPDATE: Read more on this story in our Ghanaian Envoy to Japan Says He Was Deceived Into Allowing Gamblers on the Embassy Premises.