Japan wants to tie its “My Number” ID card system to casino resorts to verify the identity of local players.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Japan.- As Japanese cities and prefectures move forward with their bids for integrated resort licences, authorities are looking at linking the\u00a0“My Number” ID card system<\/strong> with the future resorts to identify local players who attend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The card links people’s social security and tax data and will also be linked to a mobile phone app as part of an initiative to promote a “digital government.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Analysts also believe the system could also help evaluate the\u00a0earnings of the future Integrated Resorts<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As of April, only 28 per cent of Japanese citizens had registered for the “My Number” card system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Japan plans to\u00a0allow three integrated resorts<\/strong> initially. The are four locations bidding: Nagasaki, Yokohama, Wakayama and Osaka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Nagasaki<\/a>, a group dubbed the\u00a0Citizen\u2019s Association to Think About the Casino Issue\u00a0<\/strong>has criticised the lack of information regarding the city’s bid to develop an integrated resort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The anti-IR group<\/a>\u00a0asked for a summary of the meeting in which\u00a0Nagasaki\u2019s prefectural government<\/strong>\u00a0whittled down\u00a0five initial contenders<\/strong>\u00a0to three operators. However, the\u00a0request was rejected by the prefecture<\/strong>, which argued that it could harm the business interests of the companies involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In\u00a0Yokohama<\/a>, the\u00a0Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ)\u00a0<\/strong>may have chosen\u00a0Takeharu Yamanaka<\/strong>,\u00a0a professor at Yokohama City University,<\/strong>\u00a0as\u00a0an anti-IR candidate to represent the CDPJ<\/a>\u00a0on the mayoral elections to be held on August 22<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yokohama\u2019s current\u00a0pro-IR mayor<\/a>\u00a0Fumiko Hayashi<\/strong> has expressed\u00a0her decision to run for a fourth term<\/strong>. However, the Liberal Democratic Party believes she is unlikely to win the elections and is seeking another candidate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In\u00a0Wakayama<\/a>,\u00a0Clairvest<\/strong>\u00a0Neem Ventures\u00a0<\/strong>in partnership with\u00a0Groupe Partouche SA<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0AMSE Resorts Japan Co\u00a0<\/strong>is the only remaining contender for the IR bid. The prefecture was left with little choice after\u00a0Suncity Group<\/a>, the only other contender, withdrew from the process due to uncertainty caused by the impact of the Covid-19\u00a0<\/strong>pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJapan’s current integrated resort plans<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n