Casino law could be delayed in Japan

Japanese legislators may delay a casino regulation approval due to potential snap general election in October.

Japan.- The IR Implementation Bill approval could be delayed, as the Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is planning to call a snap general election for October 22 or October 29. Following the call, the Prime Minister would dissolve the extraordinary Diet session scheduled in order to establish the legislators’ debates to the general election.

One of the biggest challenges for the passage of the IR-related legislation is the general election that is set to take place in October, and it could result in a push back as it is not a top-level priority when it comes to the Japanese agenda. Therefore, the scheduling of the Diet debate could be defining.

During the latest Diet Session, Japanese Congress was set to finally address a comprehensive casino proposal to approve gaming development. Representatives of Liberal Democratic Party and the Komeito party had agreed on discussing casino legislation by the end of the month, when the session was supposed to start.

If legislators are finally discussing the IR Implementation Bill, casino legislation could take effect next year, allowing operators to begin the bidding process. After all requirements are fulfilled, international companies will be able to start the construction phase of the highly expected integrated casino resorts.