After months of equivocation, Yokohama Mayor Fumiko Hayashi reportedly is planning to pursue an integrated resort in the Japanese city, one of the first of three IRs to be built in Japan. Hayashi is said to be considering a JPY260 million (US$2.4 million) budget from public funds to support the bid, according to a confidential source who spoke to the Kanagawa Shimbun newspaper.
Hayashi has not confirmed her choice publicly, but the city engaged in a request-for-information (RFI) process earlier this year, reported GGRAsia.
According to the news outlet, a site close to 47-hectare (116-acre) Yamashita Wharf is the preferred site. Yokohama is a port city with a population of some 3.75 million. The Japan Times reported that Yokohama asked 12 casino operators in May to estimate turnover and impact on other businesses. The figure, they reported, was up to ¥1.6 trillion (US$15 billion).
In the Kansai region, Osaka and Wakayama are aggressively lobbying for a casino. In the city of Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, plans have been drawn up for a casino resort at the Dutch-style theme park Huis Ten Bosch.
Nagasaki officials predict a casino facility at the site could see 7.4 million visitors a year.
Osaka City and Prefecture are seen as frontrunners in the race to host an IR, with officials still hoping that the property could open before the 2025 World Expo, to be held on Yumeshima Island.
A recent note from brokerage Sanford C. Bernstein Ltd. said three IRs in Japan could generate gross gaming revenues of US$7 billion to US$8 billion per year.
A June survey of Yokohama residents revealed that most of those polled think casinos will “affect public safety in a negative way.”
Most concerns were around threats to public safety, followed by the potential for gambling addiction. And “contribution to anti-social forces.” On the plus side, respondents hoped for the “revitalization of the city economy,” “increased tax revenue,” and “additional sightseeing and entertainment venues.”
One respondent wrote, “It feels like this briefing and these reports are only made to promote casinos.” Another said , “Yokohama has reached a point where an IR is absolutely necessary for economic revitalization.”
