WEEKLY FEATURE: Focus Shifts in Japan

The Las Vegas Sands Corp. has bowed out of plans to pursue an integrated resort license in Osaka, Japan, preferring to focus on Tokyo and Yokohama. That pivot seems to make MGM Resorts, with its longstanding “Osaka First” policy, the favorite for a license if the government approves the locale. MGM CEO Jim Murren (l.) said the company is “deeply committed” to Osaka. In another big change, Caesars Entertainment has pulled out of Japan altogether to focus on business at home, including its merger with Eldorado Resorts.