Street League Skateboarding's visit to Japan has raised questions about its sponsorship deal with Stake, an online casino and gambling platform that Japanese residents cannot legally access.
The partnership has also brought attention to an ongoing debate within skateboarding, as some professional skaters disagree with casino sponsorships and the growing involvement of gambling companies in the scene.
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The timing is particularly interesting given Japan's growing concerns over illegal online betting.
A report from the Tokyo-based Council for Sports Ecosystem Promotion estimated that Japanese residents wagered around ¥6.45 trillion ($44 billion) on overseas sports gambling websites last year, despite these platforms being illegal in the country.
Of that amount, approximately ¥5.43 trillion was wagered on sporting events outside Japan, while ¥1.02 trillion went toward domestic competitions.
Professional baseball accounted for ¥528.1 billion, followed by soccer at ¥333.4 billion and basketball at ¥86.9 billion.
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Japan only permits gambling through specific government-sanctioned activities, including horse racing and motorboat racing.
Using overseas online casinos can also lead to fines or imprisonment.
Authorities arrested a record 279 people in 2024 for involvement with online betting sites, an increase of around 160% from the previous year.
This puts Stake's involvement with SLS Japan in an interesting position.
The company receives exposure through an international skateboarding competition held in the country, but Japanese residents cannot legally use its gambling services.
There is also a growing disagreement among core skaters in the community about accepting money from casino and betting companies.
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Some don't believe gambling brands should have a place in skateboarding, particularly when athletes and competitions become part of their advertising.
Others may see these sponsorships as a financial opportunity in an industry where professional careers depend heavily on outside funding.
However, that doesn't mean everyone in the skateboarding community agrees with promoting gambling to its audience.
Should professional competitions accept casino sponsorships when some of their own athletes oppose them and the brand's gambling platform is unavailable to the local audience?
As Japan continues to crack down on illegal online betting, the involvement of gambling companies in international skateboarding events is likely to remain a topic of discussion.