Eight areas in Japan considering bids to host casino resorts
Eight areas in Japan are considering hosting casinos as part of integrated resorts, tourism minister Kazuyoshi Akaba said Tuesday. The eight areas are Hokkaido, the city of Chiba, Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya, a combined effort by Osaka Prefecture and the city of Osaka, Wakayama Prefecture and ...
Pressured by its struggling finances, Yokohama goes all in on casino bid
On a recent afternoon, Yamashita Park in Yokohama's waterfront was teeming with visitors — from lovey-dovey young couples to picnicking families and foreign tourists taking selfies in front of the ocean liner Hikawamaru, a museum ship permanently moored at the park. A short distance away, ...
Casino-hosting cities must help attract visitors from overseas, new draft government policy confirms
The government has released a draft policy to select cities capable of bringing more foreign visitors to the country as hosts of newly legalized casino resorts. Public opinions will be heard through Oct. 3, and the government will formally decide on the basic policy of ...
Casino giants crank up PR to snag first Japanese resort licenses
Since the enactment of a law in July 2018 legalizing casino gambling in Japan, large resort operators from the United States have been boosting public relations efforts as they plan bids to enter the budding market. With the law set to allow up to three ...
In Hokkaido, Japan's youngest governor seen as 'safe driver,' but critics want him to go off script
When 38-year-old Naomichi Suzuki was elected governor of Hokkaido in April, he simultaneously achieved another feat: becoming the youngest serving prefectural leader in the nation. Although some initially counted on the young Suzuki to be communicative, or even outspoken, he has so far trodden carefully, ...
Las Vegas Sands to focus on Tokyo-Yokohama area for casino, abandoning support for Osaka
As Japan moves forward with plans to open facilities that allow gambling, Las Vegas Sands Corp. says it is now focusing on the Tokyo and Yokohama areas to find potential locations for a casino resort. Sands said in a statement Thursday that it is no ...
Yokohama puts forward Yamashita Wharf as candidate to host casino resort
Japan is widely seen as a prize market for casino operators due to its affluent population of 128 million and proximity to Asia’s wealthy gamblers.
Other hopefuls are Osaka, Wakayama and Nagasaki prefectures.
Casino resort frontrunner MGM says winning and building Osaka facility by 2025 is tough but doable
Over the next few months, the government is expected to debate the structure of a new regulatory committee that will oversee so-called integrated resort complexes containing casinos and draft a basic policy specifying the selection criteria for such facilities. For Osaka, considered the frontrunner of ...
Police in Vietnam on Sunday detained more than 380 Chinese people accused of running the country's largest-ever underground online gambling ring, the government said. Gambling is illegal in Vietnam in most cases, though foreigners are allowed to gamble at local casinos. Last year, Vietnam said ...
As Japan prepares to open casinos, gangs won't be afraid to test security
Japan is currently creating a legal framework to operate casinos via a system of integrated resorts, but concerns persist that they'll be prime targets for organized crime once they're finally up and running by 2024. "The yakuza have changed over the years, but one thing ...
Caesars deal catapults underdog Eldorado to casino powerhouse
In the casino business, the minnow is swallowing the whale. Eldorado Resorts Inc.'s $8.58 billion acquisition of Caesars Entertainment Corp. means an underdog from Reno, Nevada — a town long in the shadow of Las Vegas — will become the largest owner of casinos in ...
