Yokohama City Council passes IR budget

The City Council passed a supplementary budget of over €2 million for integrated resorts (IRs) in Yokohama.

Japan.- The Yokohama City Council has passed a supplementary budget for integrated resorts (IRs). The Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito agreed on a budget of over €2 million for a casino in the area.

While the decision came after two political parties agreed on the subject, there were over 650 people from different groups gathered outside the city hall to protest the decision. However, once the Council passed the budget, Mayor Fumiko Hayashi said that she believes that the supplementary budget reflects the will of the citizens. The Mayor based the opinion on the number of votes that elected council members submitted to pass the budget, the Asahi Shimbun revealed. The final vote resulted in 51 council members in favour and 33 against.

Moreover, Mayor Hayashi explained that she is considering holding public integrated resorts briefings to receive feedback from citizens. She aims to better understand what they want in terms of the casino industry.

Yokohama is currently the only city in the Tokyo metropolitan area trying to obtain a licence to operate an IR.

Melco adopts “Yokohama First” policy

Melco Resorts is one of the companies that are pushing to host an integrated resort (IR) in Japan. The operator said that it has adopted a “Yokohama First” policy. It will see all of Melco’s efforts in winning the bid to host the casino in Yokohama.

Melco had already announced this month the move to open a third office in Japan, but specifically in Yokohama. Melco had an office in Osaka but has given up its efforts to host an IR there.

Lawrence Ho, CEO and Chairman of Melco Resorts, said that “Yokohama First” means that the team of experts and talents that the company has assembled will focus on bringing to the city “the best IR the world has ever seen.”