Around 3.2 million Japanese have likely suffered from gambling addiction, a government survey shows, amid renewed concern about pathological gambling since a law to legalize casinos took effect last year.
An interim report on the survey, released Friday, said 3.6 percent of respondents were suspected of having developed gambling addiction at some point, a proportion that works out to around 3.2 million people nationwide.
It also said that 0.8 percent — equivalent to around 700,000 people — likely were addicted at some point in the past year, with the average age at 46.5. Among them, pachinko accounted for the most money spent on gambling, at an average of ¥58,000 per month. The survey of 10,000 adults received valid responses from 4,685. People between ages 20 and 74 were randomly selected for face-to-face interviews at 300 locations.