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Baseball Gambling?

Discussion in the Ask the Commish forum
Baseball Gambling?
I'm sure eveyone knows that gambling is tightly regulated in Japan. There's horse racing, of course, and there is a lotto-type game for soccer, not to mention regular lotteries. But is there no way Japanese baseball fans can legally have a flutter on NPB games?

Related: Pachinko is officially not gambling, because you cannot win money directly from it; only prizes. If you wish to "sell" those prizes at one of those cashing-in booths - conveniently located next-door to the pachinko parlours! - that's entirely your business and nothing to do with the pachinko operators. Go figure.
Comments
Re: Baseball Gambling?
[ Author: westbaystars | Posted: Sep 16, 2005 6:13 PM | YBS Fan ]

Well, I've gotten a number of "off-shore betting" houses requesting to do a tie-up with me over the years, to which I've refused each offer as kindly as possible. I don't gamble and have no interest in being associated with gambling in general. But I won't hold it against anyone who does.

Nikkan Sports publishes odds from some "book maker" in London for the Nippon Series every year. And the above mentioned betting houses have been generally based in New Zealand and Australia to the best of my recollection. So foreign bookies are definitely interested in the game.

With all of the problems that the CPBL is having with gambling, though, I'm not sure that it would be good for the game to promote betting within the country. Taiwanese fans are questioning every error, every home run ball given up, etc. Pro Yakyu has enough trouble without the fear of a gambling scandal hanging over it.

But, hey, you're near Osaka, aren't you? Surely there's a guy with a punch perm driving around in a purple car who will take your bet, no?
Re: Baseball Gambling?
[ Author: torakichi | Posted: Sep 16, 2005 9:27 PM | HT Fan ]

I'm not really the gambling kind, myself (just the odd Jumbo Takarakuji for me). I, too, received a "could you put me on to someone who could help us?" request. I just wasn't sure whether there was, in fact, no form of NPB betting.

CPBL has gambling problems? You mean thrown games, and that kind of thing?
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