Nagasaki postpones public IR consultation until February

The Nagasaki Prefectural Government has confirmed the period for public remarks that was supposed to begin in January has been delayed by a month.

Japan.- The public consultation on the development of an integrated resort in Nagasaki will be held in February, one month later than planned. The county council’s vote on the plan is now scheduled to take place in March.

The Nagasaki Prefectural Government took the decision after concerns were raised at a Prefectural Council meeting regarding how its private partner will raise funds to develop the integrated resort. A Nagasaki councillor has questioned whether Casinos Austria International’s estimated cost of capital is sufficient. 

In response, the county said it would soon submit a draft of its regional development plan to the relevant committee of the parliament, but there was no information on the construction of the consortium and fundraising. Authorities said Casinos Austria International has been “going all out” in terms of consortium building and fundraising.

However, the Nagasaki Prefectural Government said that without these elements, it would be difficult to continue with the process of developing an Integrated Resort.

The planned total investment for the IR development is JPY350bn (US$3.2bn) for eight hotels, conference and exhibition facilities and a variety of dining and retail options. The Nagasaki Prefectural Government has previously said it expects the IR to open in 2027 and to generate annual gross gaming revenue (GGR) of JPY150bn (US$1.37bn). Lobby groups have called for a local referendum on the IR plans.