Three individuals in Osaka were recently arrested by the Prefectural Police for illegally laundering money from online casino gambling. The suspects received a total of ¥4.9 billion in their bank accounts from approximately 10,000 participants in overseas online gambling.
The arrested individuals are Yukiko Han, Yuya Santanda, and Hatsuyo Kinoshita, all company executives residing in Osaka Prefecture. The suspects allegedly disguised the crime proceeds by having the participants transfer ¥4.9 billion into their accounts over 140,000 transactions from March 2022 to June 2023, disguising it as legitimate business revenue.
Each suspect operated their own company, which had contracts with the online casino. However, these contracts were used to hide the payments of gambling money. Out of the total amount received, ¥2.9 billion was paid back to participants as winnings, while ¥2 billion was the profit of the casino operator, with 1.5% to 2.0% going to the arrested individuals.