Limits of this reference

Every page here is written to be useful, and every page has edges. This one lists the statements a reader is most likely to take further than we meant, and says what each one actually means.

Part one: the law

"Operators on this site are licensed."

Licensed somewhere else — in Curaçao, Malta, Anjouan or another jurisdiction. No online casino holds a Japanese licence, because Japan issues none. A foreign licence protects nobody from Japanese criminal law, and a Japanese regulator will not hear a complaint about a foreign site.

"Online casinos are a grey area in Japan."

We never say this, because it is not true. The National Police Agency treats playing on an overseas online casino from Japan as gambling under articles 185 and 186 of the Penal Code, and people have been arrested for it. Since 25 September 2025, advertising and inviting people to such sites is prohibited as well.

"A guide explains how something works."

It explains; it does not advise. We are not lawyers, tax accountants or financial advisers, and no page is a substitute for one. When a question touches your own liability, ask a professional in Japan.

Part two: the numbers

"The welcome package is …"

Was, on the day we checked. Bonuses, wagering multiples, maximum bets while wagering, cash-out caps and eligible games are rewritten often, sometimes weekly. Where an operator does not publish a yen figure we leave the amount out instead of converting it ourselves, which is why some cards describe only the mechanism.

"This game returns 96 percent."

Over millions of rounds simulated by the studio. Your session can end anywhere. Studios ship one title with several return configurations and leave the pick to the casino, so trust the percentage printed in that casino's copy of the game, under its info button.

"Winnings are tax-free."

Not in Japan. Gambling winnings are generally occasional income (一時所得), and the 500,000 yen deduction and halving rules that apply are explained in our tax guide. Lottery and toto prizes are exempt under their own laws; casino winnings are not.

Part three: this site

"Ranked first."

First by the weights published on how we rate, from what can be checked from the outside. It is an editorial opinion, not an audit of the company's finances, its random number generator or the way it treats a particular customer in a dispute.

"Open an account here."

That sentence never appears on our pages, and no button should be read as saying it. Where a link to an operator is commercial, the arrangement is described on the commercial links page. A commercial agreement is not an endorsement of everything the operator does.

"Linked from Top Japan Casinos."

Outside sites — operators, studios, regulators, help services, news sources — are responsible for their own content, availability and handling of your data. Logos and screenshots identify; they do not imply a relationship.

If gambling is no longer a game

Gambling costs money, and losing is the normal outcome. If it is taking more money, time or sleep than you meant, stop and talk to someone. Each prefecture's mental health and welfare centre (精神保健福祉センター) advises free of charge, and Gamblers Anonymous groups meet across Japan; the responsible gambling page lists the routes.

Our liability

Correct pages and constant uptime are aims, not guarantees. So far as the law permits, Marlowquay Online Media Limited carries no responsibility for damage traced to these pages or to decisions taken on their strength — lost stakes, winnings an operator refuses to pay, closed accounts, or prosecution for playing where play is a crime among them. Statutory consumer protections that no notice can switch off are not affected.

Corrections

If a statement here no longer holds, write to [email protected] with the page and what you see. Disputes with an operator belong with that operator.