The police department disciplined the men by imposing penalties. These included six-month suspensions for drinking alcohol or playing pachinko during work hours.
The Hyogo Prefectural Police in Japan have forwarded cases involving nine male officers to prosecutors. The officers, mostly in their 20s and 30s, are suspected of illegal online casino gambling outside working hours.
The police department’s inspection office says that six of the nine officers worked at the same police station. One of them is a senior police officer in his 20s. He allegedly accessed an online casino website on his smartphone between December 2024 and June 2025. During that time, he placed over 3,000 bets and spent about JPY 5 million, roughly $32,000. The senior officer reportedly learned about the site from another officer in his 20s.
The other three officers include a senior police officer in his 30s. He works at the criminal investigation bureau at the police department headquarters in Kobe, the prefectural capital. Also among the suspected officers was a headquarters-based inspector in his 40s.
The police department disciplined the men through imposing penalties like six-month suspensions for drinking alcohol or playing pachinko during work hours. Supervisors of the officers were also subject to disciplinary action. Chief of the inspection office, Koichi Tsuchiyama, said the department would step up ethics education for its personnel in light of the huge number of officers pushed for irregularities.
Japan generally restricts most forms of gambling under Chapter 23 of its Criminal Code. Yet, there are numerous exceptions. These include betting on horse racing, as well as certain motor sports. Public sports events, lotteries, as well as toto are cone under special laws, both to generate revenue for national and local governments, and to give entertainment.
Furthermore, people can legally bet on four types of racing: horse racing, bicycle racing, powerboat racing, and asphalt speedway motorcycle racing. These activities are permitted under special legislation and are regulated by either local governments or government-affiliated organizations.
