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Japan Lottery Association
Address: Japan Lottery Association 4-9 Hirakawa-cho, 2-chome Chiyoda-ku 102 Tokyo
Internet: http://www.takarakuji.nippon-net.ne.jp
E-mail Address: yume@takarakuji.nippon-net.ne.jp
Phone: +81 3 326 185 40
Fax: +81 3 323 429 03
Population:  
President: Makoto Kobayashi.
Year Lottery Founded:  
Sales FY2007:  
Number of Employees:  
On-line Vendor:  
Internet Gaming System:  
Instant Ticket Vendor:  
ITVMs:  
Games Offered:  
Beneficiaries:  
Jurisdiction:  

Background Information

The first lotteries in Japan are said to date from the 1630's, about 360 years ago. The went through a series of bannings and revivals until 1842, when they were banned completely. This lasted until shortly before the end of the Second World War, in 1945, when lotteries were revived to obtain funds for the war effort.
In October 1945, immediately after the war, the Japanese government began selling lottery tickets under the name Takara-kuji meaning "fortune" or "treasure" lottery. The government's aims then were to soak up idle capital in order to contain rampant inflation and to procure funds for post-war reconstruction.
In 1946, local governments were also permitted to organize Takara-kuji lotteries. From 1954, when the national government abandoned the lottery, they became the exclusive issuing bodies of Takara-kuji.
Since the first Takara-kuji was sold about fifty years ago, these lotteries have grown with the country, and today they are supported by a wide range of groups within the Japanese population. The profit collected from the sales of Takara-kuji has also become a significant part of each local government's budget and is used for public works and so forth.
According to Japanese law, only the nation's 47 prefectures and 12 specially designated cities may organize Takara-kuji lotteries.
A lottery must first obtain the approval of the local assembly and then the Minister of Home Affairs. The actual operation of the lottery (i.e., printing and delivery of the tickets to retail outlets, public relations, advertising, sales, draws, announcement of winning numbers, payment of prizes, etc.) is entrusted by law to the bank.
Although several banks have performed this function since 1945, The Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank has long taken a leading role and at present is the sole trustee.
Japanese lotteries are broadly divided into traditional or conventional style lotteries, with printed numbers on the tickets, and others in which the player can choose any combination of digits. Some of the former offer special features, such as one with a very high first prize or with low-value prizes but better odds of winning. The latter, which were introduced in 1994, are called the "Numbers". Other recently developed products include an instant lottery and the Double-Chance Lottery, which combine the conventional and instant types.
There are six major lottery types, classified by sales regions. The All-Japan Lottery is sold throughout the country. The four "bloc" lotteries are sold in each of Japan's four bloc regions (the Kanto-Chubu-Tohoku region, Tokyo Metropolitan District, the Kinki region and the West Japan region) and the Local Medical Care Promotion Lotteries (the so-called Rainbow Lotteries) are sold in designated regions. The Rainbow Lotteries are designed to aid in the purchase of equipment to upgrade facilities at the Jichi Medical School, established for medical care promotion in rural areas, as well as to obtain funds for building a welfare society for the elderly.
The All-Japan Lottery is held 12 times a year, with the bloc lotteries being held generally every week in each bloc region, and the Rainbow Lotteries being held nine times a year.
In addition to these regularly issued lotteries, the Event Lottery was created in 1989, the sales of which are permitted only on the premises of Expositions and local events sponsored by local governments. This is one of the instant lotteries and is favorably received in each region since the odds of winning are higher than other types of lotteries.
The Japan Lottery Association can be found at: www.takarakuji.nippon-net.ne.jp

See also: Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank

News 2008

Tourism-Promotion Character to Feature on Lottery Tickets
MIYAGI, Japan (November 8, 2008) -- Miyagi Prefecture's official tourism-promotion character, Musubi-maru--an armored samurai whose face resembles an omusubi rice ball--will appear on municipal lottery tickets to be sold in 23 prefectures and 10 ordinance-designated cities..............Subscribers

Toto Lottery Sales Top Previous Record
TOKYO, Japan (October 31, 2008) -- The National Agency for the Advancement of Sports and Health, which manages the toto soccer lottery, has finished repaying long-term loans totaling about 19 billion yen, a result brought about by a dramatic improvement in lottery sales.............Subscribers

Soccer Lottery Bet Pays Off
JAPAN (September 18, 2008) -- A simple high-stakes soccer lottery has helped pull the National Agency for the Advancement of Sports and Health out of the red, with the agency likely..................Subscribers

Lotteries in Japan
TOKYO, Japan (September 12, 2008) -- Questions and answers about lotteries in Japan.............Subscribers

Players Queue for Green Jumbo Lottery Tickets
JAPAN (February 19, 2008) -- Tickets for the Green Jumbo Lottery, whose top-prize winners will get as much as 150 million yen each, went on sale across the nation on Monday.................Subscribers

New Lottery to Launch with 1.2 Billion Yen Jackpot
HIRATSUKA, Japan (February 7, 2008) -- A new lottery involving keirin cycling races at the Hiratsuka Keirin track is set to start in April, featuring jackpots of up to 1.2 billion yen.................Subscribers

Fundamental Reforms Could Still Lead to the Demise of Toto Lottery Despite New Found Popularity
Toto Lottery's Future in the Balance After BIG Wins
JAPAN (January 28,2008) -- After years of operating at a loss, and facing calls for its abolition, the "Toto" soccer lottery is finally generating a profit--by thinking BIG...............Subscribers

LDP Eyes Bill to Legalize Casinos
TOKYO, Japan (January 3, 2008) -- The ruling Liberal Democratic Party plans to propose legislation to legalize casinos in Japan under strict supervision. An LDP panel on casinos plans to call for the establishment of an independent watchdog.................Subscribers

News 2007

Japan's Pachinko and Slot Machine Market Downturn Could Lead to Industry Rationalization
TOKYO, Japan (September 7, 2007) -- Japan's pachinko and slot-machine market shrank in fiscal 2006 for the first time in three years, according to reports. The Research Institute said that with the number of customers falling to the lowest level in a decade, pachinko and slot-machine halls are feeling the pinch...............................Subscribers

Second-Biggest Soccer Lottery Prize Ever Awarded
TOKYO, Japan (May 21, 2007) -- Japan's second-largest soccer lottery prize of 563 million yen was recorded on Sunday.....................Subscribers

Sales of Toto Lottery Tickets Resume, But Convenience Stores Continue Suspension
JAPAN (May 16, 2007) -- The National Agency for the Advancement of Sports and Health, the operator of the Toto soccer lottery, resumed sales of all types of its lottery tickets......................Subscribers

System Failure Causes Lottery to Suspend Sales for Soccer Betting
JAPAN (May 15, 2007) -- Japan's lottery agency Tuesday suspended sales in a soccer betting competition after the system crashed on a deluge of people seeking to win more than six million dollars........................Subscribers

News 2006

Japan's Largest Lottery Prize Ever, Big Soccer Lottery Pays Out Y584 Million Jackpot
TOKYO, Japan (November 26, 2006) -- Japan's largest-ever lottery prize of 584 million yen was logged Sunday in a soccer pool, the National Agency for the Advancement of Sports and Health s..............................Subscribers

Government Hopes New Soccer Lottery Will Boost Sports Program
JAPAN (September 27, 2006) -- The National Agency for the Advancement of Sports and Health has started selling the new soccer lottery ticket ‘BIG’ in an attempt to boost its declining soccer lottery program................................Subscribers

Sports Agency To Reimburse Bank For Unpaid Lottery Commissions
TOKYO, Japan (September 4, 2006) -- The National Agency for the Advancement of Sports and Health is planning to pay outstanding fees it owes Resona Bank for operating its soccer lottery..........Subscribers

Japanese Gaming Machine Makers Move Into South Korean Market
SEOUL, South Korea (August 31, 2006) -- Japanese video gambling machine makers are boosting operations in South Korea, according to a local industry sources........................Subscribers

Toto Has Lost Its Shine
JAPAN (April 24, 2006) – It would appear that Japan’s love affair with football has come to an abrupt halt, baseball is now the national game.........................Subscribers

Bank Considers Suing Soccer Lottery Operator to Collect Outstanding Commission
JAPAN (April 19, 2006) -- Resona Bank, which was commissioned to sell Toto Soccer Lottery tickets by an independent administrative institution, has sent the institution an ultimatum demanding..........................Subscribers

Soccer Lottery Operator Sets Optimistic Sales Forecast
JAPAN (April 18, 2006) -- The National Agency for the Advancement of Sports and Health, the operator of the Toto Soccer Lottery, has reportedly drawn up................................Subscribers

Toto Ticket Sales Hit New Record Low
JAPAN (Apr. 5, 2006) -- Sales of toto, a government-licensed lottery betting on results of the professional soccer league, renewed a record low at about ............................Subscribers

Soccer Lottery Operator Betting it Can Reverse Fortunes
JAPAN (March 19, 2006) -- The National Agency for the Advancement of Sports and Health, an independent administrative corporation that sells soccer lottery tickets, has its back against the wall due to................................Subscribers

New Soccer Lottery Tickets Being Sold at Convenience Stores
TOKYO, Japan (March 2, 2006) -- The National Agency for the Advancement of Sports and Health, an independent administrative corporation that sells soccer lottery tickets, which has faced .........................Subscribers

Toto Gets a Facelift, New Ways to Bet, Additional Selling Outlets
JAPAN (February 16, 2006) – The National Agency for the Advancement of Sports and Health (NAASH) is reportedly poised to take over "Toto," Japan's soccer gambling operation, which was introduced in 2001 to raise money for sports development.................................Subscribers

Lottery Ticket Sales Surge at Internet Banks
TOKYO, Japan (January 4, 2006) -- Selling tickets online for horse races, the "toto" soccer lottery and other gambling has recently become a lucrative side business for two of Japan's Internet-only banks, Japan Net Bank and eBank...........................Subscribers

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