Japan probes local governments over IR bid

The central government has contacted 67 local governments to ask whether they plan to make a bid for a casino resort.

Japan.- The casino industry is soon to arrive in Japan as the government closes in on its casino liberalisation policy, but it’s still unknown where venues will be located. That’s why the central government has contacted 67 major local governments across the country to ask whether they have plans to make a bid for a casino resort.

Only three resorts will be allowed to be developed during the first phase of the casino policy in Japan, which is why several regions have teamed up with different companies to assess the best way to do so. This process is expected to begin developing after July 2019, when the central government expects to announce the policy framework under which each jurisdiction will be able to take its case to the government.

The Japanese authorities will pick the locations through a selection process set to be conducted in 2020, after which they’ll pick at least one (or two) in 2021. In 2023, the government will launch another selection process to choose the locations that would host the remaining IRs.

Several international operators have already shown their interest in Japan and even discussed potential plans with local governments. A few weeks back Yokohama conducted a request for information (RFI) process, which had twelve companies submitting plans and information to the government. However, the local government will have to compete with several other areas to win the rights to develop its own venue.