Tim Alper iGaming Journalist
Tim Alper is a journalist covering betting news and regulation for CasinoBeats, with a focus on regulatory developments and international markets. He reports on breaking stories across Europe and Asia, including gambling law changes and...
Read Full BioBally’s Corporation says it will invest in the Japanese casino-resort (IR) sector if it is given the chance.
Soo Kim, Bally’s chairman, made this claim as the government-imposed November 2027 application submission deadline approaches.
“Japan has an incredibly large population and is an extremely attractive market,” Kim said, per the Japanese newspaper Nihon Keizai Shimbun. “If an opportunity arises, we will definitely throw our hat into the ring.”
Kim has previously shown interest in developing a casino resort in Fukuoka, but the plan never came to fruition. The newspaper wrote that Kim “has been visiting Japan for 25 years, contacting local governments that are positive about creating an IR.”
Japanese Casino-Resort: Bally’s, Aichi Making Moves
Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported that Kim has a “strong desire” to work on a Japanese IR and was “closely monitoring” developments.
The central government has approved plans to build up to three integrated casino resorts. Thus far, Tokyo has only approved one IR project. This project, now under development in Osaka, involves the US operator MGM and the Japanese construction firm Orix.
Tentatively named MGM Osaka, the IR is slated to open in 2030 on the artificial island of Yumeshima in Osaka Bay. Japanese business heavyweights, including Panasonic and Kansai Electric, have minority shareholdings in the project.
Tokyo says other parts of the country that are interested in creating IRs have until November next year to submit bids for the second and third casino-resorts.
However, residents in many parts of the country have pushed back. They worry IRs will drive up gambling addiction rates. This has led several prefectures to abandon bids or state publicly that they have no intention of building IRs.
The sole recent exception is Aichi Prefecture, a region in the center of Honshu, Japan’s main island.
Aichi and its capital Nagoya function as an important transport hub between the country’s two busiest cities, Tokyo and Osaka.
Aichi Ambitions
Earlier this month, Aichi prefectural officials said they may resurrect a pre-COVID-19 plan to submit a bid. Aichi Prefecture’s activities on this front are gathering pace, reported the Japanese media outlet Kensetsu News.
The prefecture says it has drafted an implementation policy for an IR project in Tokoname, near the site of Chubu Centrair International Airport.
Aichi says it wants to hear opinions from private businesses regarding the feasibility of its project. It has given companies until March 19 to register their interest.
The prefecture says it wants to hear from corporations with “an interest or knowledge of IR development and operation.”
Roadmap Unveiled
The prefecture says it wants to transform Tokoname into an “international tourist city that revolves around the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) sector.”
The project will be at the heart of efforts to revitalize the prefecture’s economy and tourism industries, officials said. The plan speaks of a 50-hectare plot of land, including prefecture-owned holdings. The prefecture plans to lease or sell the land to an operator.
This land includes the existing site of the Aichi Prefectural International Exhibition Center. Aichi says it wants the IR to include a wide range of tourism and entertainment facilities, including accommodation infrastructure.
The operator could be granted an initial 35-year lease, Aichi officials said. The plan mandates that a candidate operator be selected any time between fall 2026 and spring 2027.
After selection, the operator will prepare an area development plan for approval by the Prefectural Public Safety Commission and Tokoname city officials.
COVID Delay
The Aichi Prefectural Assembly will also need to approve the plan before the prefecture can submit an official bid to the central government.
Aichi first began debating casino construction back in 2017. Tokoname’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry first suggested the plan to prefectural authorities.
The province abandoned a feasibility study in early 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
