Japanese badminton superstar Kento Momota and teammate Kenichi Tago have admitted that they gambled at an illegal casino in Japan with other teammates, their team Nippon Telegraph and Telephone East Corp. said Thursday.

Momota, 21, who has booked a spot at this summer's Rio de Janeiro Olympics, and Tago, 26, who suffered a first-round exit in the London Olympics in 2012, visited a casino in Tokyo's Kinshicho area, which was raided by police in April and May last year, according to investigative sources.

The establishment for playing baccarat was closed after the investigation, and six people, including the casino's operator and a senior crime syndicate member, were arrested last year on suspicion of opening a casino for customers to gamble. Casino gambling is illegal in Japan.