Osaka IR full opening before March 31 2027: local govt

Dec 27, 2019 Newsdesk Japan, Latest News, Top of the deck  

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The full opening of any casino resort scheme that might be allowed on Yumeshima island in Osaka Bay (pictured), in Japan, ought to happen before March 31, 2027, said the Osaka prefectural and city governments in their criteria for selection of a private-sector partner for such a venture.

The criteria had been mentioned in a Tuesday announcement giving details of requirements under Osaka’s request-for-proposal (RFP) phase for private-sector partners. But a merit points system designed by Osaka for the RFP phase – to assess how well private-sector suitors might suit the city’s needs regarding a casino complex, or integrated resort (IR) as they are known in that country – specifically says that date of opening is not a scoring factor.

In mid-December, the mayor of Osaka, Ichiro Matsui, had said it was likely that a local casino resort could only be opened in that city in 2026, rather than the previously-flagged date of 2025. Osaka’s RFP document mentions that the local financial year runs from April 1, to March 31 of the following year, meaning that a March 31, 2027 full launch for an Osaka casino would still be within the financial-year 2026-27 period.

The timetable indicated by the Osaka authorities would mean that construction of an IR would in likelihood be going on at the same time the city hosts World Expo 2025 on Yumeshima from April 13 to October 13 in 2025.

Osaka has warned IR suitors that dust, noise and traffic access issues would need to be managed carefully to avoid disrupting Osaka’s showcase event.

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