Three Arrested for Operation of Rock-Paper-Scissors Gambling Site in Japan

An illegal operation based on mobile phone gambling sites in Japan was taken down last week, as the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department reported three arrests in connection with a business that drew some ¥130 million (about $1.5 million) in eight months.  

The main suspect in the alleged illegal online gambling sites in Japan is Tomoyuki Miyamoto, president of Internet operating company Seeds Style Co. Miyamoto and the two others arrested are suspected with placing the illegal site onto the websites of Japan-based mobile phone provider Au and SoftBank Mobile.  

The simply site offered one game: rock-paper-scissors, at which players anted ¥130 and could win prizes of ¥1,000 ($11.50) for winning three games in a row or ¥10,000 ($115) for five games in a row; a Tokyo MPD spokesman stated that the odds on winning five in a row are just 0.9%. Some 27,000-plus played on the website, which ended up paying out just ¥1.43 million, or about 1.1% of the total income. 

In his defense, Miyamoto told investigators that he had consulted a lawyer on the legality of his activities before it was launched.  

The Tokyo MPD also reported that they had obtained the names of nine Japanese citizens who played on the website and will be reporting these names to prosecuting attorneys. The police also stated that this would be the first in a series of police investigations into illegal Internet gambling in Japan.