Resona Research Institute, a Japan-based business consultancy, says the developers of an integrated resort (IR) planned for Osaka should consider adding a theme park, marine facilities and a large-scale commercial space to pump up non-gaming revenues.
As reported by GGRAsia, the firm says Singapore-style IR amenities could help double non-gaming revenues to “at least JPY250 billion” (US$1.77 billion) and also attract more foreign visitors. Boosting international tourism was a key goal for lawmakers when they approved legal casino gaming in 2016.
Osaka plans the $10 billion IR in partnership with U.S.-based gaming giant MGM Resorts International and Japan’s Orix Corp. The resort, to be developed on Yumeshima, a man-made island in Osaka Bay, is expected to open sometime in 2029 or 2030.
According to MGM Resorts, the IR will include 2,500 hotel rooms as well as “dining and food-and-beverage offerings, retail space, spa, fitness center and banquet halls.”
The property will also include a theater, a 400,000-square-foot conference center, and 330,000 square feet of exhibition space. MGM expects the IR to attract 20 million visitors per year, and employ 15,000 people.
