An integrated resort (IR) planned on the site of the Huis Ten Bosch theme park in Nagasaki will cost about JPY438.3 billion ($3.7 billion), according to Casinos Austria International Japan (CAIJ), the prefecture’s chosen operating partner. The original projected cost was about $3.2 billion, according to Asia Gaming Brief.
CAIJ was selected last year over its competitors, including a partnership of Mohegan Gaming and Entertainment and Oshidori and a consortium collectively known as Parkview.
On March 10, the operator presented its long-awaited plans to the local government. The equity portion of the financing will come to JPY175.3 billion, with 60 percent coming from CAIJ. The group will be known as Kyushu Resorts Japan and will also include partnerships with the Hyatt Hotel and JTB Group. CAIJ said the resort will include 2,200 slot machines and 220 table games. It will be developed alongside the Dutch-themed Huis Ten Bosch park and will feature eight hotels, conference and exhibition centers and entertainment complexes.
In a proposal summary for Nagasaki, CAIJ said the IR would attract up to 8.4 million visitors a year, creating 30,000 jobs and generating US$2.9 billion for the economy.
The deadline for bids to the central government is April 28. If Nagasaki is chosen to host an IR, it’s expected to open in the third quarter of 2027.
Two other communities are vying to host IRs in Japan: a consortium of U.S.-based MGM Resorts and Orix Corp. in Osaka, and a group helmed by the Canadian company Clairvest in Wakayama. The government will choose up to three operators in the first phase of the country’s legal gaming industry. A government representative told Inside Asian Gaming that CAIJ’s chances of securing a license are strong.
