Yokohama mayor waffling on IRs
In the race to host one of Japan’s first integrated resorts, officials in potential markets are pushing to get to the front of the line.
According to the Japan Times, a leading contender for an IR license is Yumeshima, a man-made island in Osaka Bay. Other cities that want to get in the running are Rinku Town in Izumisano in Osaka Prefecture and Wakayama Marina City in Wakayama Prefecture. Additional front-runners include Yokohama and Tokyo.
Representatives of Osaka Prefecture say the region is uniquely qualified to host an IR. At one of nine public hearings last month, they reminded lawmakers that as far back as 2002 officials and businesspeople there talked up the area as a possible casino site. The Yumeshima plan has attracted interest from global operators including the Las Vegas Sands Corp., MGM Resorts International and Melco Resorts & Entertainment.
Izumisano also was early to the game, and in 2013 passed its own resolution in support of a casino. At one of the hearings, Izumisano municipal officer Yoshihiko Matsushita entreated panel members, “Don’t turn away from municipalities that have been making efforts over long years to realize integrated resorts.”
Wakayama Prefecture says its location is a plus, as 6 million foreign visitors travel through nearby Kansai Airport each year. Officials say that if Wakayama Marina City gets a casino license, construction could begin immediately, unlike at Yumeshima. “More than the size of the facilities, emphasis should be on their quality and ability to contribute to regional revitalization,” officials said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Tomakomai and Kushiro are pushing for an IR on the northern island of Hokkaido. According to the Asia Gaming Brief, one unnamed gaming industry representative said at a hearing, “Hokkaido is the best location for an IR. It possesses the resources to really satisfy the guests.”Three separate municipalities in the prefecture have expressed interest in hosting an IR: Tomakomai, Kushiro and Rusutsu.
The Asia Times urged Japanese lawmakers to “diversify growth engines away from huge metropolises” like Tokyo. “Why not build in less-traveled areas? The western island of Kyushu, perhaps. Putting a casino near, say, Fukuoka would harness its equidistance from China, South Korea and Taiwan. Even better, direct (Sheldon) Adelson and his ilk to open shop in Tohoku, a region devastated by a giant 2011 earthquake.”
The Times warned Japan to “brace for the risk its version of Vegas is coming at the top of an Asian casino bubble.”
Meanwhile, recently reelected Yokohama Mayor Fumiko Hayashi is wavering on her former support for an IR license, reported AGB. “During the election campaign I heard voices of approval and voices of anxiety. I would like to conduct serious research from a neutral position while watching the movements of the country,” she said.
As a result of the larger debate about gambling and gambling addiction, the government has announced it will limit online gaming in the country by the end of the 2022 fiscal year. “It is essential to carry out measures to prevent people from falling into unfortunate situations due to addiction,” said Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga.
In addition, according to theYomiuri Shimbun newspaper, Japan’s cabinet has approved new rules for pachinko that limit the payoffs for players, another attempt to curb excessive gambling. The revised rules curb reduces jackpots from 2,400 balls to 1,500 balls and also reduce the number of balls that can be won by gamblers who play pachinko for four hours. The new regulations, which will go into effect in 2018, will also cover pachislot machines at the pachinko parlors.
Other measures allow family members to keep problem gamblers from patronizing “gambling facilities” and removes automated teller machines from horse racing tracks and off-site betting offices or disabling those machines’ cash advance function by April 2018.
