Kakegoto

…Under the Criminal Code, gambling is defined as a game in which the parties decide whether to win or lose by chance, and there is no practical benefit in distinguishing between games in which the parties decide whether to win or lose, and games in which the parties simply compete to see who will win or lose their predictions. If gambling is done in moderation, it satisfies the human desire for entertainment and speculation to a certain extent, but indulgence in gambling can numb the desire to work in daily life, disrupt the sound management of the economy and society, induce secondary crimes, and often become a source of funds for organized crime. It is therefore a difficult question to determine the extent to which gambling should be tolerated or punished, but in Japan, due to the above-mentioned evil, gambling in general is punished under the Criminal Code as a morals offense, while allowing the exception of "betting on items used for momentary entertainment," and the government or local public organizations have adopted a policy of promoting or sponsoring businesses such as horse racing, bicycle racing, and lotteries to absorb the desires of the people, and promoting sound management and the public welfare through the income from such businesses. …

*Some of the terminology explanations that refer to "kakegoto" are listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…刑法上賭博とは，偶然の勝敗によって財物の得喪を決することで，当事者が勝敗を決する博戯と，単に予想の的中を争う賭事とがあるが，区別の実益はない。賭博は適度に行われれば娯楽と射幸という人間の欲求をほどよく満たすものであるが，賭博への耽溺は日常的な勤労意欲を麻痺させ健全な経済社会運営を混乱させるとともに，副次的な犯罪を誘発し，しばしば暴力団の資金源となる性格をもっている。そこでどの範囲で賭博行為を容認し，あるいは処罰の対象とするかは難しい問題であるが，日本では前記の悪弊を理由に賭博行為一般を風俗犯として刑法で処罰しつつ〈一時の娯楽に供する物を賭〉す場合を例外として許容するとともに，政府あるいは地方公共団体が競馬･競輪･宝くじなどの事業を推進あるいは主催することにより国民の欲求を吸収し，健全な運営とその収入による公共の福祉の増進とを図る政策をとっている。…

※「かけごと」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報