Reports out of Japan are that official discussions under way on the shape of the country’s proposed casino market point to a regulatory approach that will be similar to Singapore’s.
The legalization bill expected to be passed by the National Diet in the fall will launch a process for crafting those regulations, and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga says a key part of the process lies with identifying issues and legal systems currently used in other countries, Singapore among them.
Reports are this could result in levying daily and annual entry fees on Japanese players similar to those that apply to Singapore citizens and permanent residents of the city-state.
The newspaper Nikkei reports in the meantime that Japan is looking at offering three casino licenses initially that would call for mixed-use investments with an emphasis on non-gaming tourist attractions similar to those developed at Singapore’s Resorts World Sentosa and Marina Bay Sands.
The locations for thee resorts have not been specified, although it appears that Osaka, by virtue of its size, geography and well-chronicled interest in hosting an integrated resort, is a favorite to receive one of the licenses. Okinawa Prefecture and Yokohama are also in the mix by virtue of being popular tourist and resort destinations.
However, Tokyo’s Odaiba waterfront district may be the most popular prospective location, according to a new survey by ad agency Hakuhodo, which says 26 percent of respondents to its poll picked Odaiba as the most attractive location, followed by 14.2 percent for Okinawa, 13.2 percent for Osaka and 10.5 percent for Yokohama.
The survey was conducted online in March with 4,700 people across Japan.
Hakuhodo said an Odaiba resort would attract 24 million visitors per year from within Japan. Okinawa would attract around 14 million visitors domestically. Osaka would attract 13 million.
