• About Us
  • The Team
  • Advertise with Us

The latest news on the gaming industry in Asia

() () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () ()
  • Home
  • Macau
  • Philippines
  • Singapore
  • Japan
  • Rest of Asia
  • World
  • Industry Talk
  • Trends & Tech
  • iGaming
  • follow
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • RSS Feed
    • LinkedIn

AGA wants to help Japan legalise casino industry

Apr 20, 2015 Newsdesk Japan, Latest News, Top of the deck  


AGA wants to help Japan legalise casino industry

The American Gaming Association is offering to provide support to Japan in legalising casino gambling.

“We can be helpful by providing information and experiences” from the United States, Geoff Freeman (pictured), the association’s president and chief executive, told Japanese media last week.

Mr Freeman stated bringing casino resorts to Japan “can provide not only gaming experience but also high-end experience like nightlife and entertainment,” the Japan Times quoting him as saying.

He added that U.S. casino operators “would all be well suited to be partners in Japan” because of their experience in the sector.

Several U.S. gaming firms have show their interest in investing in Japan if casino gambling is legalised there. MGM Resorts International has plans to bring together “a consortium of leading Japanese companies” for an eventual US$10-billion casino resort in Japan. In Macau, the company has majority ownership of a venture with local businesswoman Pansy Ho Chiu King. Las Vegas Sands Corp, which operates casinos in the United States, Macau and Singapore, has also said it would be interested in entering the Japanese market.

There are also several major Asian-based casino operators that have hinted interest in investing in the country.

Investment analysts have suggested Japan could become the second largest casino market in Asia by gross gaming revenue – surpassed only by Macau – if casino legalisation could be pushed through the Japanese parliament, known as the Diet.

The chances are however fading that an enabling bill for casino resorts can be approved in the current parliamentary ordinary session, due to end on June 24. Industry observers have said that missing that deadline would effectively kill any chance of getting a casino resort open in time to coincide with the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics.

The sticking point is understood to be Komeito, a Buddhist-influenced political party with 35 seats in the lower House of Representatives that is a junior partner in Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government. Komeito has major reservations about casinos, citing familiar arguments by opponents of the industry, including fear of boosting gambling addiction and other social ills.

Mr Freeman last week said those concerns were “reasonable” but he added that on average only 1 percent of the population have gambling problems.

MGM Resorts president Bill Hornbuckle in February also addressed the issue during an investor forum in Tokyo. “Problem and pathological gaming exists in all countries regardless of whether legal gaming is present or not, and the prevalence of problem and pathological gaming is generally the same without regard to culture or geography,” he said.

Casino legalisation in Japan will be a two-statute process. After an enabling bill legalising casino resorts at the conceptual level, a second piece of legislation would detail the specifics, including how they are administered and regulated.


  • tweet
Related articles
  • Osaka, MGM-Orix sign implementation deal for IR
    Osaka, MGM-Orix sign implementation...

    Sep 28, 2023  

  • Melco International ends JV for theme park in Zhongshan
    Melco International ends JV for theme...

    Sep 27, 2023  

More news
  • Macau September GGR down 13pct on August: govt
    Macau September GGR down 13pct...

    Oct 01, 2023  

  • Sands China to revitalise firecracker factory, old streets
    Sands China to revitalise firecracker...

    Sep 29, 2023  


Latest News

Macau September GGR down 13pct on August: govt

Macau September GGR down 13pct on August: govt

Oct 01, 2023  

Macau’s September casino gross gaming revenue (GGR) fell by 13.2 percent month-on-month, to MOP14.94 billion (US$1.85 billion), according to a Sunday announcement from the local regulator, the...
Read More
Sands China to revitalise firecracker factory, old streets

Sands China to revitalise firecracker factory, old streets

Sep 29, 2023  

Bloomberry aims to raise up to US$99mln via share sale

Bloomberry aims to raise up to US$99mln via share sale

Sep 29, 2023  

Sign up to our FREE Newsletter

UB8V5.qr.16(Click here for more)

Pick of the Day

”The Philippines has been the primary growth driver, but really the broader Asian gaming industry is something that’s really important to us”

Matt Wilson

Chief executive of casino equipment provider Light & Wonder



Most Popular

  • International Ent to invest at least US$1bln in Manila IRInternational Ent to invest at least US$1bln in Manila IR September 28, 2023
  • Galaxy Ent to build ice rink, bookshop at Macau old shipyardsGalaxy Ent to build ice rink, bookshop at Macau old… September 28, 2023
  • Light & Wonder to expand facilities in the Philippines: CEOLight & Wonder to expand facilities in the Philippines:… September 29, 2023
  • S.Korea Daegu Casino fined US$776k for AML breaches S.Korea Daegu Casino fined US$776k for AML breaches  September 29, 2023
  • Osaka, MGM-Orix sign implementation deal for IROsaka, MGM-Orix sign implementation deal for IR September 28, 2023
Copyright 2014-2023 TEAM Publishing and Consultancy Ltd / All rights reserved
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Useful Links
  • Contact Us