Up to six regions in Japan might become hosts for casino resorts after the passage of legislation required in order to realise a casino industry in that country, said Hiroaki Yoshida (pictured), president of Japanese gaming machine investor Pixel Companyz Inc.
“The factor to consider is the business performance. What I think is that the regions that are more likely to have integrated resorts are Sasebo in the Nagasaki prefecture, Wakayama, Hokkaido, Tokyo and Osaka,” Mr Yoshida said on Wednesday on the sidelines of MGS Entertainment Show 2017, a casino industry trade show and conference held in Macau.
He said he expects casino resorts to be first approved for one or two Japanese cities or regions, with the number growing to five or six in three to four years’ time after the initial round of approvals.
Japan is currently in the process of introducing a legalised casino industry in the country. A piece of legislation called the Integrated Resorts (IR) Implementation Bill is likely to be discussed during the next regular session of that nation’s parliament in 2018, once another piece of legislation dealing with problem gambling has been enacted, according to industry commentators.
On Wednesday, Mr Yoshida said he expects the IR Implementation Bill to be approved by the Japan’s Parliament in June next year.
Mr Yoshida also revealed that his firm has already been approached by some overseas companies regarding possible collaboration. But he did not disclose any information regarding those companies or the type of collaboration that has been discussed.
Pixel Companyz is a Jasdaq listed company. It provides various products from environment related products to logistics support solutions. In 2016, the company set up a joint venture with Hong Kong-listed casino electronic games maker Paradise Entertainment Ltd, under the brand LT Game Japan.
Paradise Entertainment develops, supplies and sells electronic gaming systems in Macau and internationally under the LT Game brand.
According to a Pixel Companyz document, LT Game Japan adopts “Japanese original contents and technology” to develop and manufacture slot machines to sell in overseas markets.
