TOKYO - The fierce race to win the right to host one of Japan's three integrated resorts is heating up, with at least eight areas keen to bet on the potential economic and tourism boom.
It is not binding, although agency officials have begun interviewing local governments to confirm the status of their preparations. Forecasts show that the Japan market will likely surpass Macau and Las Vegas to become the world's strongest casino market, and the national government wants to capitalise on IRs to sustain tourism momentum beyond the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and 2025 Osaka World Expo.
The IR operators should also commit to making use of its casino business profits to improve the range of IR offerings and to give back to the local community, while also ensuring that gambling risks can be reliably and effectively curtailed. He told The Straits Times that it will be key for local governments to work with IR operators to provide evidence-based explanations in an easy-to-understand manner to quell local opposition, noting that"many disagreements have been based on emotion and sensationalism".