日本におけるポーカーの合法性

1. The Starting Point: Gambling Is Narrowly Restricted

Japan's Penal Code (Articles 185–187) prohibits tobaku — gambling, i.e. wagering money or something of economic value on an uncertain outcome. This applies regardless of the game; it isn't poker- specific. A small number of licensed exceptions exist outside that prohibition — public sports betting (horse racing, bicycle racing, powerboat racing, auto racing), the national lottery, and, since a 2018 law, casino gaming inside licensed Integrated Resorts, none of which are poker bars and none of which are currently operating in Fukuoka.

2. How "Amusement Poker" Fits Outside That Prohibition

The venues listed on this site operate on a different legal footing: they aren't wagering money on the outcome of a hand. A buy-in purchases chips or points to play with, not a stake in a cash prize pool, and winning at the table doesn't convert back into cash or a cash-equivalent prize. Without a wager of money or money's worth on the outcome, the activity falls outside the Penal Code's definition of tobaku — the same legal basis a number of commercial mahjong parlors and amusement arcades in Japan already operate on.

This is also the basis of the attestation a venue's operator makes when claiming their listing on this site: that the venue does not run on cash prizes or a cash-convertible prize or point system (see About Listings).

3. Business Licensing

Separately from the gambling question, operating this kind of venue (an establishment offering games for entertainment) generally requires a license under the Act on Control and Improvement of Amusement Business (風俗営業等の規制及び業務の適正化等に関する法律, often abbreviated 風営法), issued by the prefectural Public Safety Commission (都道府県公安委員会). That's the license this site's "License Verified" badge refers to — see the next section for exactly what that badge does and doesn't mean.

4. What This Means for You as a Player

• Don't expect to cash out chip winnings for money at an amusement poker venue — that would undercut the basis on which it's legally operating. Treat it as entertainment, not an income source.
• What winning does get you — more playing time, standing in a tournament, ranking in a league like FSL, a non-cash prize — is set by the venue or the event organizer, not by us. Check the specific tournament or ask staff rather than assuming.
• See Buy-in Guide for how the money side of a buy-in actually works in practice.

5. AllIn Japan's Role, and Our Own Disclaimer

We're a directory — we don't operate any listed venue, and we aren't a party to how any individual venue runs its games. Where a venue is shown with a "License Verified" badge, that means we reviewed licensing documentation the operator submitted to us at the time of their listing application; it is not an ongoing guarantee of that venue's continued operation, the continued validity of its license, or its ongoing compliance with applicable law (see our Terms and Conditions and About Listings pages for the same point in full). This page reflects our general, good-faith understanding of a well-known area of Japanese law as of the date below; it is not exhaustive, laws and their interpretation can change, and nothing here should be relied on as a substitute for your own professional legal advice.

最終更新日 / Last updated: 2026年10月7日