A recent survey showed 3 potential casino hosts in Japan. However, other cities and prefectures are cautious about hosting casino resorts. In fact, public safety is their top concern regarding casinos.
Kyodo News conducted the survey in November and December. In addition, it asked local governments of all major cities and prefectures qualified to host casinos. The Japanese government wants the casinos to start their operations by mid-2020.
According to the survey, the city of Osaka and Osaka Prefecture wants to host one of the casinos, Also, Nagasaki Prefecture and Wakayama Prefecture want to have one in their respective locations. They claim casino resorts will help create jobs among other economic benefits.
Potential Casino Hosts in Japan
Local governments of potential casino hosts in Japan already picked locations. In addition, Osaka, Nagasaki, and Wakayama Prefectures are already in the advanced phase of their planning.
Nagoya, one of the major cities in Japan, told gambling news reporters that it is also considering to apply to be a host. At present, it is looking for a possible location for a casino resort.
Tokyo, Ibaraki, Hokkaido, Yokohama, and Chiba are also considering to become casino hosts. However, their local governments want to do more research on the idea. Among the five, PricePerPlayer.com Pay Per Head picked Yokohama and Tokyo as prime locations for casinos.
At present, 17 local governments are undecided in becoming potential casino hosts in Japan. It looks like there will be a fierce bidding war for casino resorts in the future. In addition, 40 local governments said they will not apply as host.
Japan enacted the integrated resorts promotion law in July 2018. The government hopes it will boost regional economies outside Tokyo. They want to attract more foreign guests with casino resorts. However, critics say it might lead to increased gambling addiction.
Under the law, not everyone can learn how to be a bookie. Only a select few locations can operate a casino resort based on criteria set by the government.
