A popular Dutch-themed amusement park on Japan’s southwestern coast is considering buying a deserted offshore island in an expansion to boost its appeal as a possible site for a casino.
Hideo Sawada, chairman of the resort’s operator, Tokyo-based travel agency H.I.S., said, “We are planning to buy new land to offer more games at the Huis Ten Bosch theme park. There are a lot of deserted islands nearby.”
The company is in talks with video game makers in Japan and overseas to partner on building what Sawada calls a “Game Kingdom” at Huis Ten Bosch. The facility will offer a variety of interactive games, including a paintball-like battle simulation known as a “survival game” in Japan.
H.I.S. is also in discussions with the Japan Racing Association, a government-affiliated group overseeing horseracing in the country, to use its 1,800-seat theater near the theme park as part of the expansion to add an entertainment venue.
The company plans to lease land to casino developers in Nagasaki on the western edge of Japan’s Kyushu Island. He said at least 100 billion yen (US$974 million) is needed to fund a gambling resort there. Nagasaki Gov. Houdou Nakamura has said his prefecture is interesting in casinos with the Huis Ten Bosch area as a potential site.
The park is spread across 1.52 million square meters (376 acres), about twice the size of Tokyo Disneyland, according to its website, and is one of several locations across Japan that will vie to host a projected 12 licenses once the nation ends a longstanding ban on casinos, which is expected to occur in the form of an authorization bill slated for debate next month in the legislative Diet.
Estimates of the market’s potential range from $20 billion or so to upwards of $40 billion at full build-out, anchored by two to three mega-casinos in Tokyo and Osaka, and has attracted interest from an A-list of global gaming operators.
Sawada said adding a casino at Huis Ten Bosch could double sales at H.I.S., the nation’s largest listed travel agency, which saw revenue jump to 480 billion yen for the year ended October 31. A 12 percent increase is expected this year to 536 billion, according to a consensus of analysts polled by Bloomberg.
