A genuinely legal Japanese public-sport betting operator for keirin and auto racing, owned by MIXI Inc. since 2019 - not an offshore casino
Not available lawfully hereIs Chari-Loto legal in Japan?
No. Real-money gambling is banned in Japan. Under the Penal Code gambling offences and the revised Basic Law on Measures against Addiction, in force since the revised law took effect in September 2025, Chari-Loto cannot lawfully offer you a welcome bonus here, and you cannot lawfully claim one.
Only public pari-mutuel sports and lotteries are legal in Japan; offshore online casinos are not. Online casino-related arrests hit a record 196 in 2025, up more than 38% on 2024. The revised law also criminalises intermediary 'reach' sites and social media promotion that funnel players to offshore casinos, and the first arrests over an affiliate site followed in September 2025. source
Any Chari-Loto bonus you see advertised for Japan is offered from an offshore site operating against local law. Your payments can be blocked, your account can vanish with a mirror domain, and no Japan regulator can help you recover funds. We therefore show no offer and no sign-up link on this page. See every licensed betting site in Japan →
Pros
- Genuinely legal Japanese public-sport (koei kyogi) betting operator, corrected from a prior offshore/banned classification
- Owned by MIXI, Inc., a major listed Japanese company, since 2019
- Established 2008 with both online and physical access via velodrome outlets
- No independent complaint-platform coverage found
Cons
- No welcome bonus available - a pari-mutuel public-sport operator, not a promotional casino/sportsbook
- Limited to keirin and auto-race betting rather than broad sportsbook markets
Our verdict
Chari-Loto is a genuinely legal Japanese public-sport betting operator for keirin and auto racing, and we want to be direct that our dataset had previously misclassified it as an offshore/banned brand - a correction we're glad to make. Owned by MIXI, Inc. since 2019 and operating since 2008, it offers a legitimate, well-established way to bet on Japan's officially sanctioned public sports both online and at physical velodrome outlets. Given its genuine legal status and established corporate backing, we'd recommend Chari-Loto with good confidence for anyone in Japan looking to bet on keirin or auto racing through a properly regulated public-sport channel.
How we rated it
Trust & licensing (27%)8.5
A genuinely legal Japanese public-sport (koei kyogi) betting operator, not an offshore/banned brand as our dataset had previously classified it; owned since 2019 by MIXI, Inc., a major listed Japanese company.
Sportsbook & casino (36%)8
Established 2008 as the first multi-race betting-ticket platform for keirin, now covering keirin and auto races online and via physical 'Chariloto Plaza' outlets at velodromes.
Support & reliability (18%)7
No independent complaint-platform coverage found, consistent with its status as a mainstream, legally regulated operator; also manages velodrome facilities under local-government revitalization contracts.
Bonuses & value (18%)5
No welcome bonus data available - consistent with a legal public-sport pari-mutuel operator rather than a commercial casino/sportsbook.
Quick facts
| Owner | Chariloto Co., Ltd., acquired by MIXI, Inc. in February 2019 |
| Legal status | Genuinely legal public-sport (koei kyogi) betting on keirin and auto races - corrects a prior offshore/banned classification |
| History | Founded 2008 as the first multi-race betting-ticket platform for keirin |
| Scale | Headquartered in Tokyo, 214 employees; also manages velodromes in Tamano, Takamatsu, and Hiroshima |
| Access | Online via chariloto.com and mobile app, plus physical 'Chariloto Plaza' outlets at velodromes |
| Japan | No welcome bonus - operates as a legal public-sport pari-mutuel platform, not an offshore casino |
How we verified this
Chari-Loto's legal status as a keirin/auto-race public-sport betting operator, its 2008 founding, its 2019 acquisition by MIXI, Inc., its Tokyo headquarters, and its 214-employee headcount are confirmed via JAFCO's portfolio page, Bloomberg company profile, and Dun & Bradstreet - independent corporate-record sources, not the operator's own marketing. No independent player-complaint platform coverage was found, which is expected for a legally regulated public-sport operator rather than a gap to flag with concern.
Where Chari-Loto is licensed
Chari-Loto appears on the official register in 1 countries. Highlighted countries have a full local review — pick yours for its welcome bonus and licence details.
Asia (1)
About Chari-Loto
Chari-Loto is a genuinely legal Japanese public-sport betting operator for keirin (track cycling) and auto races - two of Japan's officially sanctioned public sports (koei kyogi) - and we want to correct directly a prior classification issue in our dataset that had labeled it as an offshore/banned brand under Japan's ban on online casinos. Founded in 2008 as the first platform to handle multi-race betting tickets for keirin, Chari-Loto operates online via chariloto.com and a mobile app, alongside physical 'Chariloto Plaza' outlets at velodromes across Japan. It was acquired in February 2019 by MIXI, Inc., a major listed Japanese social-networking and entertainment company, and separately manages several velodrome facilities - including Tamano, Takamatsu, and Hiroshima - under local-government revitalization contracts. Headquartered in Tokyo with 214 employees, Chari-Loto has no independent complaint-platform coverage we could find, consistent with its status as a mainstream, legally regulated operator rather than an offshore gambling site.