The Osaka Prefectural Police recently arrested three people on suspicion of illegally laundering online casino gambling money.

The suspects apparently had some ¥4.9 billion in total paid into their bank accounts from about 10,000 people who took part in overseas online gambling.

The police arrested Yukiko Han, a 41-year-old company executive living in Osaka, Yuya Santanda, a 40-year-old company executive living in Takatsuki, Osaka Prefecture, and Hatsuyo Kinoshita, a 40-year-old company executive living in the city of Osaka.

According to the prefectural police, the suspects hid crime proceeds by having the 10,000 people pay ¥4.9 billion, including gambling bets placed with overseas online casino Yous Casino, into their bank accounts over about 140,000 occasions from March 2022 to June 2023. They disguised the money as legitimate business revenue.

Each suspect ran their own company. The companies and the operator of the online casino had contracts to provide services and sell products. But the contracts were apparently a cover to conceal the payments of gambling money.

Of the ¥4.9 billion, some ¥2.9 billion was paid back to gambling participants as winnings. The remaining ¥2 billion yen was a profit of the casino operator, and 1.5% to 2.0% of the profit went to the three.