Japan delays bill to January

Japan Congress has delayed the debate on gambling prevention bill to next year.

Japan.- Casino industry in Japan has been put on hold since national legislators have postponed debates related to further regulations to activate the approved gaming legislation. The general bill on casinos cannot take effect until the Congress passes all regulations as to gambling prevention, license process, gaming taxes, among other things.

Now the anti-gambling bill debate has been delayed to January, as the lower house of Japan’s parliament announced last Friday. Representatives of the lower house of Japan’s Parliament are debating next year a new proposal to address problem gambling, as the casino industry development is expected to begin in the upcoming months. Meanwhile, the Parliament’s measure to finally start the casino process is still pending.

The new bill proposes a regulation to prevent problem gambling among Japanese residents, as well as “treatment programmes for problem gamblers, and social support for them afterwards.” However, the two ruling coalition parties in Japan decided to maintain their position to delay the consideration of a gambling addiction bill, called “Basic Bill on Gambling Addiction Countermeasures,” until Japan’s annual budget is passed next year.

It is estimated that the gambling addiction bill will be reconsidered after the budget’s decision, which could be between May and June of 2018. The Japan Innovation Party, based in Osaka, had asked earlier this month that the ruling parties passed the gambling addiction legislation in order to enact it before the current Diet session ended yesterday. Nevertheless, the attempt was rejected by ruling coalition Komeito party.