Wakayama Prefecture in Japan will announce its selected integrated resort (IR) operator by the end of April. The central government approved legal casinos in late 2016, and is expected to award three licenses in the first phase of liberalization.
The prefecture received applications from just two candidates: Suncity Group Holdings Japan Co. Ltd. and Clairvest Neem Ventures (Tokyo), reported Inside Asian Gaming. Wakayama Governor Yoshinobu Nisaka has taken a key role in promoting an IR in the prefecture, though the spread of Covid-19 in the country has put the process on pause.
The prefecture’s IR Promotion Office told IAG, “We can only answer that a decision will be made in Spring based on the examination of the selection committee.” They added, “Nagasaki has just entered its second round of examinations and Yokohama is still only in the RFP stage,” emphasizing the fact that Wakayama will still be the first location to settle on its IR operator partner once the decision has been made public.
