Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball Organization said Thursday that 14 people from seven teams, including players and team officials, have voluntarily admitted to patronizing online casinos in the past.

The NPB had called on its 12 baseball teams to have their members voluntarily report their use of online casinos, after the Orix Buffaloes announced on Feb. 21 that pitcher Taisuke Yamaoka participated in a poker tournament run by a foreign casino website.

It did not disclose the names of the 14 people, all of whom used online casinos after February 2022, meaning that the three-year statute of limitations on simple gambling has yet to run out.

In addition to the 14 individuals, there were reports of cases in which the statute of limitations had expired under the Penal Code, but they were not subject to the disclosure this time.

The NPB said there have been no reports of gambling on baseball, which is prohibited by the Japanese professional baseball agreement. It will leave it up to each team on whether to lodge police reports or mete out punishments.

"We take this very seriously," said Katsuhiko Nakamura, secretary-general of the NPB, adding that the NPB will take necessary measures in the wake of the disclosures. The organization will continue to accept voluntary reports for the time being.