BIE calls for pause on MGM Osaka IR construction during Expo 2025
The Expo 2025 will be held from April 13 to October 13, 2025.
Japan.- The Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) and some business executives in Japan have called for a pause in the construction work of the MGM Osaka during the Expo 2025.
The event, which will be held for 184 days from April 13 to October 13, 2025, will take place on Yumeshima, an artificial island in Osaka Bay, where the integrated resort (IR) will be located. According to the Asahi Shimbun, concerns have been raised about potential landscape deterioration and noise pollution on the island due to the construction work for the IR.
In March, Bill Hornbuckle, CEO and president of MGM Resorts International, said that the next months would be critical to ensure that the IR would be launched in 2030.
The governor of Osaka prefecture and the mayor of Osaka city, along with high-ranking executives of the MGM Osaka project, are expected to meet soon to discuss the matter.
The IR is anticipated to generate annual revenue of JPY520bn, of which about 80 per cent is expected to come from the casino. About 20 million people a year are expected to visit, including 6 million visitors from abroad, generating sales of JPY520bn annually, with JPY420bn coming from gambling revenue.
See also: MGM CEO to travel to Thailand to explore possible venture
