GGRAsia – Oshidori says to withdraw from IR race for Nagasaki

Oshidori says to withdraw from IR race for Nagasaki

Aug 06, 2021 Newsdesk Japan, Latest News, Top of the deck

Japan casino suitor Oshidori International Holdings Ltd says it is withdrawing from the race for a casino resort scheme in Nagasaki prefecture, “unless there are certain changes” in the local government’s request-for-proposal (RFP) process. There are two other contenders in the race to be Nagasaki’s private-sector partner regarding an integrated resort, or IR, as such schemes are known in Japan.

The Hong Kong-listed firm said in a Friday (August 6) statement: “Oshidori International Development announced today that, unless there are certain changes to the developmental and operational rules imposed by the Nagasaki prefecture, and unless the RFP process is conducted in an ethical manner, it is withdrawing from participating in the RFP for an IR in Nagasaki, Japan.”

The statement added that the “restrictive and unreasonable rules imposed by the Nagasaki prefecture make it impossible for Oshidori to conduct business in a prudent and efficient manner.” Oshidori had paired with United States-based tribal casino operator Mohegan Gaming and Entertainment for the Nagasaki bid.

In Friday’s announcement, Oshidori also said it had “encountered several incidents” that made it “question whether there have been serious ethical irregularities in the RFP process”. The company remarked that it was “only interested in participating in a process that has the highest integrity, and that is professional, transparent, and based on merit.”

It added: “Oshidori expresses its gratitude to the local community and to all the people involved for their support and cooperation towards Oshidori’s participation in Nagasaki’s IR process.”

GGRAsia approached Nagasaki prefecture for a comment, but had not received a reply by the time this story went online.

Three would-be commercial partners were participating in Nagasaki’s RFP process. Aside from Oshidori, they are: Niki Chyau Fwu (Parkview) Group; and Casinos Austria International Japan.

Nagasaki prefecture’s chosen site for such a scheme is land at Huis Ten Bosch theme park (pictured), in Sasebo city, part of Nagasaki prefecture.

The contenders – including Oshidori – submitted earlier this week their final presentations to the authorities in Nagasaki. That is to be followed by the actual selection of a partner, for the prefecture to make a submission to the national government by spring 2022.