Japan’s Osaka, Wakayama, and Nagasaki Prefectures are all planning to apply to host the country’s first casinos, while dozens more areas are still reluctant due to public safety concerns, the Japan Times reported citing a recent survey conducted by Kyodo News.

The survey covered Japan’s 47 prefectures and 20 major cities that are eligible to host integrated resorts with casino floors, the first properties of this kind to be built in the Asian nation. The country’s government finally passed a bill legalizing casino gambling in late 2016 after a lengthy debate that lasted more than a decade.

A separate piece of legislation, one setting the rules under which Japan’s gambling industry will be run, was passed in the summer of 2018. The government plans to issue three licenses for resorts in three locations around the country

As mentioned above, Osaka is among the prefectures that have expressed interest to bid for one of the licenses. It will bid jointly with the city of Osaka. Wakayama and Nagasaki Prefectures are also gearing up to participate in the race. According to the Kyodo News survey, all three prefectures have already selected candidate sites and are awaiting the start of the bidding process.

The local governments of Tokyo, Hokkaido, and Ibaraki Prefectures and of the Chiba and Yokohama cities have also revealed that they are considering the possibility. As many as 17 local governments have told Kyodo News that they are undecided on the matter, while 40 local government have said that they would not apply to host a casino, citing concerns over public safety and related issues.

The legalization of casinos in Japan prompted debates whether a nation that already has a gambling problem fueled by the locally popular pachinko machines needs additional gambling options. Critics of the move cited concerns over an increase in gambling addiction, which the government attempted to address with the introduction of certain restrictions in the way Japanese passport holders would be admitted to the future gaming facilities.

Japanese residents will only be allowed 10 casino visits per month and will be charged a JPY6,000 entry fee. Those restrictions will not apply to foreign casino visitors.

Osaka, Hokkaido – Preferred Locations

A number of major gaming and hospitality companies have followed closely Japan’s casino legalization process for years, hoping to be able to enter a nascent market that analysts believe could be

As the bidding process for hosts and operators of the three casino resorts is coming close to being opened, some of the companies have become more avid to share their plans and their preferred locations.

Las Vegas Sands, the Las Vegas giant led by casino tycoon Sheldon Adelson, has said that it has been eying Osaka as a host to its casino resort, should it win one of the three licenses. The company will compete with at least one more gaming and hospitality giant to develop a property in the major port and commercial center. Lawrence Ho’s Melco Resorts & Entertainment has too expressed interest in Osaka, and that interest has certainly grown after the city won the bid to host the 2025 World Expo.

In Hokkaido, Hard Rock International has recently presented its concept for a World-Class Entertainment Resort. The Florida-headquartered company plans to leverage its more than three-decade experience in Japan (through its Hard Rock Cafe chain) to build an integrated resort in the city of Tomakomai that will include a guitar-shaped hotel, a casino, a Four Seasons-branded resort within the resort, Broadway-style theaters, and retail and fine dining space, among other facilities.

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