Gaming Standards Assn Japan branch amid casino push
The Gaming Standards Association (GSA) a specialist technical advisor regarding electronic gaming machine technology and digital infrastructure for the casino and betting industries, says it will extend its reach to Japan by establishing a branch there. It will offer information about the gaming industry, and assist in education efforts about technical aspects and regulation of it.
In a written statement issued on Sunday, the association said Japan’s nascent casino industry would eventually help create a “highly competitive” offering in the international tourism market. The statement added that Japan might wish to make use of GSA’s expertise as the country moves toward finalising the sites and infrastructure needed under the national government’s Integrated Resorts Implementation Act.
The GSA said Japan’s economic power and technological strength will help that nation learn from practices in the gaming industry elsewhere and meet the highest standards.
“For more than 20 years GSA has brought together the industry and policy domains and successfully facilitated discussions leading to the creation of a number of key standards that provide an important level of transparency to governments, regulators, operators, and manufacturers,” stated GSA president Peter DeRaedt in prepared remarks in the press release.
GSA Japan’s newly-named managing director Kaji Takeshi was quoted in the document as saying the association would help support development of the local casino industry.
“The Japanese government stipulates that casinos are developed using the world’s highest standards of regulation to guarantee the integrity of casino management, along with its supporting systems to avoid any possible adverse side effects,” Mr Kaji said.
A number of industry observers has suggested the Japanese casino market is likely to feature a sizeable slot machine segment, unlike most other major Asian markets, which are dominated in gross gaming revenue terms by table games, especially baccarat.
In allowing the establishment of casinos in Japan, the government there is hoping to improve the infrastructure for visitors to the country.
It was reported last month that the national authorities wanted hotels in the envisaged casino resorts to have 100,000 square metres (1.08 million square feet) of accommodation space and up to 120,000 square metres of meeting space, enough for up to 6,000 people – much greater capacity than any current hotels in the Japan resort and conference segments.
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