As the Liberal Democratic Party and conservative opposition's Nippon Ishin no Kai rush to pass legislation to legalize casino gambling, regional governments from Hokkaido to Kyushu, which see it as a potential gold mine for local revenue and jobs, are making plans to host such facilities.
But concerns are growing that the hastily deliberated legislation on integrated resort (IR) facilities, which will house the casinos, fails to provide adequate measures to deal with issues such as an expected rise in gambling addicts.
Many critics also warn that legalizing casinos will increase money laundering and the involvement of criminal gangs — issues brushed off by supporters who say such questions could be addressed when it came time to debate the follow-up bill on the details of IRs.