Japan ID card tied to locals casino play rollout end 2022

Jun 15, 2021 Newsdesk Japan, Latest News, Top of the deck  

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Japan’s government plans to expand the country’s My Number card scheme – a citizen-identification system – to cover “all the residents” in the country “by the end of the fiscal year 2022”.

That is according to information collated by GGRAsia’s Japan correspondent, based on a government announcement.

The My Number card system has been mentioned as the future route for verifying the identity of local players wishing to gain access to any Japanese casino resorts that might be built.

The My Number initiative is part of Japan’s “digital government” drive, and would be linked to a mobile phone application.

The government said in its statement that the My Number card system would be rolled out and linked to the social security and tax number systems, for all residents in Japan, by the end of 2022.

It is an element in Japan’s Basic Policy on Economic and Fiscal Management and Reform 2021, due for approval in the form of a resolution on Friday (June 18) by the country’s cabinet.

That resolution would in turn be used to help form the national policy strategy and budget for the fiscal year 2022, according to information collated by GGRAsia’s Japan correspondent.

The rollout and take up of the My Number card would be important in assessing the earnings potential of Japanese casino resorts, said in April the Japan-based casino industry consultancy Bay City Ventures Ltd, in a report on the country’s plans for casino-operations regulation.

As of April, only “28 percent” of the country’s citizens had a My Number card, the consultancy’s managing director Joji Kokuryo, said in the report.

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