After the Diet finally approves legislation setting the rules on integrated casino resort complexes, the race to win one of the first three casinos will quickly heat up. And nowhere is the competition becoming more intense than in Kansai.
Osaka is a heavy favorite to win one of the three, with strong support from local politicians and the business community as well as strong interest from international casino operators. But neighboring Wakayama also wants a casino resort as a way to attract tourists and, despite what appear to be long odds, Gov. Yoshinobu Nisaka is stepping up the prefecture's bidding efforts.
At a public symposium on May 19 in the city of Wakayama, Nisaka, in an attempt to placate concerns about the surge in problem gamblers a casino would bring, proposed that entry to any casino in the prefecture by Japanese be restricted, in principle.