The majority of people in Japan are opposed and even “hostile” to a plan to bring integrated resorts to the country, with a new survey finding that 60 percent are concerned that safety, security and quality of life will decline in the presence of gaming establishments.
According to an October poll conducted by the Jiji Press, 57.9 percent of those surveyed disagree with the big plan, which would bring three integrated resorts to the country in the first phase of development; more could be added after seven years if Phase I proves successful.
Just 26.6 percent of people agree with the plan; among the supporters, 62.8 percent said they would back the establishment of a casino resort in their area, and 29 percent said they wouldn’t. Pollsters talked to 2,000 people 18 or older across Japan, reported the Japan Times.
Opposition to IRs could make some prefectures shy away from the idea. Yokohama recently announced it’s planning to enter the race and has become a favorite among major IR operators including the Las Vegas Sands Corp and Melco Resorts & Entertainment. However, public opinion against IRs is particularly strong there—opponents have taken to the streets to protest—and they could ultimately sway political opinion, though global firms including the above-mentioned as well as MGM Resorts have done their best to woo the public by sponsoring local festivals and sports events and promoting non-gaming and other elements of IRs, reported Asia Gaming Brief.
According to the Nikkei, Yokohama City will run public briefings through the end of the year to neutralize the naysayers. Yokohama officially expressed its interest in an IR bid in August, and both the Sands Corp. and Melco have withdrawn from the Osaka IR race to focus on the city, located south of Tokyo and is Japan’s second most populous metropolitan area. Yokohama officials are looking at a 47-hectare (116-acre) location at Yamashita Wharf.
Though Wynn and LVS have both withdrawn from contention in Osaka, MGM is still all-in. Pro-IR Osaka Mayor Ichiro Matsui is leaning toward a policy that would see the 49 hectares (121 acres) of land utilized for IR development at Yumeshima Island rented to the operator rather than sold.
“It is important that the IR be operated in a stable fashion over a long period of time,” Matsui said. “By holding ownership of the land, the municipal government can maintain a leading position and ensure the smooth operation of the project.”
Selling the land would bring in almost JPY59 billion (about US$545 million), while the rental price is likely to be in the range of JPY2.5 billion (about US$23 million) annually.
Nagasaki is the third city to declare itself in favor of an IR development. The local governments qualified to apply to the national government for permission to host an IR must team with private-sector partners prior making their bid to the national government.
Wynn Resorts told GGRAsia it will focus on the Kanto region, which includes the Greater Tokyo area and encompasses seven prefectures: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba, and Kanagawa.
Inside Asian Gaming reports that Sasebo Mayor Norio Tomonaga gave a report on the expected economic effects on each area in Kyushu that an IR bid would bring during a meeting of the Kyushu Association of Mayors in Sasebo, Nagasaki last week. Mayors from other prefectures expressed high expectations for “Kyushu coming together to support” the project.
The Kyushu Association of Mayors is made up of city mayors from Kyushu and Okinawa and this meeting was held at a hotel neighboring Huis Ten Bosch in Sasebo city.
Tomonaga emphasized the wide economic effects an IR would have on each region due to the prospective inbound demand of foreign tourists due to its proximity to East Asia. “We are much further along in preparations than other regions,” he said. “Please continue to support this bid.”
Mohegan Gaming is interested in a project in Tomakomai. The company said it planned to invest between US$3.5 billion to US$4.5 billion to develop a casino resort. Hard Rock International Inc. gave some preliminary detail of its ideas for its own Tomakomai IR.
