Japan is very much like any other country in the world. Their people love to gamble. It’s just that their habits are a little bit different. It’s a cultural thing. After all, Japan has always been a unique country.
By now you should know this. The far east country has developed an online gambling market similar to the rest of the world. They are tech-savvy which is one of their main traits.
So, when we take their unique culture and habits into account we can conclude that the sports they love to bet on are also unique.
That’s only partially true. While there are exceptions, in some departments, they are no different than you and me.
In this article, we are going to explore the gambling habits of Japanese people. What do you think, which sports are their favorite? Some of the answers will surprise you, while others will fit the norm you’re used to.
What’s more important is that online gambling is legal in Japan and there are no restrictions. You could even argue that Japan has a culture of online gambling similar to the one they have tied to slot machines.
But, what they love the most, the same as the rest of the world, is a fine bonus that many online betting institutions offer. When it comes to bonuses having the possibility to pick up one without having to put down the deposit. This is a fair offer and many betting institutions are going down this road luckily there are many websites like these.
After all, the goal of many bookmakers is to attract new players and to hold on to their old ones. It is a cutthroat business. Bonus or no bonus, Japan loves their betting. Check out the sports they love to wager on the most.
1. Baseball
Are you surprised? As we said, Japan is not your regular betting country. No basketball or soccer is filling the number one spot. It’s baseball. This is the most popular sport in the land of the rising sun.
There are claims that baseball is more popular in Japan than all of the other sports combined. The best part about this sport is that they have domestic leagues to bet on while they also keep their eyes and mind on the MLB league of the United States.
It is a fun sport to watch and to bet on and we understand the people of Japan for sticking with this one for so long. The next one will show you the true colors of Japan even more.
2. Sumo Wrestling
This is a sport that is practiced predominantly in Japan. It is not only about gambling, it is also about tradition. There are no sports such as sumo wrestling anywhere in the world. This type of wrestling is a real art.
While associated with Japan it is consumed in other areas of the world such as Polynesia or Hawaii. But, it is mostly tied to people of Japanese descent. Japan is the only country where it is played professionally.
There are many tournaments throughout the year, so betting on this sport is quite popular in Japan. There are talks that it will be promoted as an Olympic sport which would make things even more interesting in this department.
3. Soccer
While unique in many departments, Japan still streams toward the west a lot. So, the third spot is reserved for the world’s most popular sport – soccer. While in Europe it’s called football you know what we’re talking about.
Japan has a strong soccer culture which is reflected in its national team’s success. They also have plenty of international players which made the game even more popular than before. We used to have players such as Keisuke Honda and Shunsuke Nakamura who are now replaced by the likes of Kaoru Mitoma, Ritsu Doan, and Daichi Kamada.
This is what makes the sport so popular. Japan mostly has its betting eyes on domestic competitions but they also favor the Bundesliga, the Premier League of England, and the Scottish Premiership due to the presence of their international players. At the moment Celtic has quite a few Japanese players which brought them a massive following in this country.
4. E-Sports
Now, here’s an even more interesting sport to talk about when it comes to Japan and gambling. While e-sports are not technically sports you can bet on them and they do include sportsmanship and that competitive spirit.
E-sports grow as we speak and they are becoming more popular each day. Japan is technologically advanced so it’s no wonder that it’s booming over there. People of Japan love to be in these sports. People who play Mario bros or Pro-Evolution Soccer take these games very seriously. That’s why it’s possible to bet on these events.
There are more and more tournaments each day and e-sports will not stop growing anytime soon. As we speak there is a betting culture surrounding them with countries such as Japan and Canada leading the race.
5. Tennis
While a global sport, not many people would believe that tennis would be above basketball when it comes to gambling in Japan. But, that’s how things stand. One player brought the fame of this sport to Japan in recent years and we’re talking about Kei Nishikori.
He was the most recent Japanese player to be ranked in the top five on the ATP list. When sport became popular enough people started wagering about it. Kei is no longer playing but the habit of betting on tennis remained. This is a trend that won’t change anytime soon considering that this is a sport you can bet on all year long.
6. Judo
As we said, here, we are talking about a country as traditional as no other. So it’s no wonder that two sports originated in Japan that people of this country love to bet on. In addition to sumo wrestling the Japanese also love to wager on judo. This is quite a popular sport in their country and there are plenty of tournaments to go around and put your bets on.
