Japan's Cities Hopeful of Casino Hosting Licenses

The plot of Japan's future casino resorts whereabouts and construction thickens: months after the country's parliament and Prime Minister Abe has signed the historical declaration permitting the building of premium gambling properties on their territory, merely three prefectures have so far expressed interest in hosting one of the projects!

According to Japan Times portal, only three counties - cities and prefectures of Osaka, Nagasaki and Wakayama – have so far applied for hosting one of the casinos, or are about to do so.

In November and December, a nation-wide survey was conducted in 47 prefectures and 20 of the biggest cities that are also eligible to apply for hosting casinos that would integrate hotels and conference rooms.

The Origins of Reluctance

In July 2018, the signing of the Integrated Resorts Implementation Bill allowed construction of up to three land-based resorts, with the first one not to be opened before 2025. This kicked off a licensing race with all the global titans of the industry taking part.

According to the survey administered by Kyodo News, dozens of local governments are still in two minds about the matter. The reason?

Public safety concerns…

As much as forty prefectures and counties have opted against applying for a host license...

...One of them, Miyagi Prefecture, is concerned about the “deterioration of public safety and increase of gambling debts.” Shimane Prefecture's official statement reads that they will continue to promote tourism through nature and history instead.

Others Are More Up To It

On the other side of the spectrum, Osaka, Nagasaki and Wakayama see in integrated casino resorts a massive opportunity for creating jobs and numerous other economic perks.

Multiple other cities are about to follow their lead: Nagoya is currently looking for a suitable location before officially posting their application. Tokyo, Hokkaido, Ibaraki, Chiba and Yokohama are still researching their capacities. The sheer size and affluence of Tokyo and Yokohama are making them prime candidates in the eyes of operators, but these cities are still waging their options.

Hokkaido's tourist destination, Tomakomai, is one of the leading candidates – with Hard Rock already outlining their eventual facility on this very site.

Visitors Will Pay Entrance Fees

Citing overseas tourism influx and regional economy boost as key motivators behind enacting the new casino law, Japan’s government's decision has been met with vocal criticism from the opposition who are warning against imminent rise of gambling-related harm.

In order to cut the problem right in its roots, a casino entrance fee of $55 will be imposed on all citizens wishing to gamble in casinos, who will also have a limited amount of times they can enter one of these facilities. Foreign visitors will spared of these extra costs.

Source:

“Three areas in Japan to bid to host casino resorts, but many other remain reluctant: survey”, japantimes.co.jp, January 28, 2019.