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The government of Shinzo Abe, the Japanese Prime Minister, has been instrumental in spearheading the development of a new plan for the country to see and welcome casinos. Yet, these aren't going to be regular casinos. Under the Integration Resort (IR) bill, the country will see three such resorts open doors at first by 2025 or 2026. ______________________________________________________________________ No two sources agree on the exact date, although most analysts point to 2025 as the final year of the arrival of the project. Presently, there are quite a few things to settle regarding licenses. For example, the national government is not quite done with outlining the application process which means that individual cities may not yet apply for a license and hosting rights. ______________________________________________________________________ Let's take a closer look. ______________________________________________________________________ How Do Cities in Japan Apply for a Casino License? ______________________________________________________________________ First, the Japanese government will need to approve a legal framework – this is no different than what you see in our countries, such as the United States. This also appears in online casinos, you can see it from here カジノ制限 the casino restrictions. So, Japan's lawmakers will have to come up with how casinos will be regulated first. ______________________________________________________________________ Once this is done, however, cities from all over the country will be able to apply for their first official license. Before they do, however, they would need to secure a partnership with an overseas brand which can guarantee to fund for the project in the first place. ______________________________________________________________________ Not only will casino operators need to contribute towards building the resort, but they will also be tasked with helping improve the local infrastructure – a small price to pay. Nevertheless, a successful license application process would involve a city has already secured a partnership with a private investor, such as Caesars, MGM, or any other respected brand that has shown interest. ______________________________________________________________________ Presently, there are four cities that seem keen on acquiring rights to host the first of the Integrated Resorts to come, and those include names such as Osaka, Kyoto, Wakayama, and Tokyo . In fact, Osaka and Wakayama today stand the best chance to land a much-needed license deal with the government and indeed host the first casino resort in the country. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ An Integrated Resort (IR) is a name specifically to Japanese gaming operations. Gaming in the country isn't necessarily legal, especially to locals, and these IR will combine a number of amenities and facilities, such as hotels, restaurants, bars, conference rooms, meeting spaces, concert venues, and of course – casinos. ______________________________________________________________________ However, it's possible for the Japanese government to restrict the access of locals to such places for the purposes of gambling specifically. Yet, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his government can fully appreciate the economic impact that an IR can have. ______________________________________________________________________ In fact, many analysts and observers have called the Japanese IR the project with the best and most long-term benefits. In other words, not since Macau has another region promised so much in terms of the windfall from gaming activities. ______________________________________________________________________ Of course, the project still faces hurdles. Even though the majority of observers want to see it rushed for an early opening in 2025, this would entirely depend on how quickly the Japanese government manages to pass a bill that finally begins to regulate the sector. ______________________________________________________________________ If the move is delayed further, this would result in possible push back of that deadline. Once a regulatory framework is established, however, cities will have to prove to the central government that they have the budget to actually start building. ______________________________________________________________________ This means that whoever ends being a partner to the casino resort would not be able to pull out of the investment. Therefore whether Osaka or Wakayama gets the first Integrated Resort, both cities would need to elaborate a very detailed funding plan for the future. ______________________________________________________________________ There are other factors to consider. Even though Osaka has the resources to spearhead the project – not to mention the population – local attitude also matters. Wakayama seems to have more support among the local population whereas people in Osaka aren't necessarily happy with the prospect of hosting a large IR project. ______________________________________________________________________ In other words, the government will need to focus energy and resources in establishing what impact local attitude would have on running an IR. Given that no strong opposition emerges, Wakayama and Osaka could be neck-and-neck for hosting the first Integrated Resort in the country. ______________________________________________________________________ Interested in what you read? For more information on the Japanese Casino Market click here . The final chapter in the Japanese IR saga hasn't been written yet.