Policymakers, industry CEOs at Japan Gaming Congress

Apr 17, 2017 Newsdesk Japan, Latest News, Top of the deck  

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Takeshi Iwaya, secretary-general of a multi-party committee in Japan’s House of Representatives that is concerned with the introduction of casino resorts in that country, is one of the confirmed attendees at the Japan Gaming Congress, to be held at the Grand Hyatt Tokyo, on May 10 and 11.

The Japan Gaming Congress, a conference organised by Clarion Events Ltd, is due to discuss the regulatory and business outlook for Japan’s nascent casino industry.

The draft agenda of contributors at the conference mentions: Yoshihide Suga, Chief Cabinet Secretary for Japan’s governing Liberal Democratic Party; and Hiroyuki Hosoda, also of the LDP, chairman of the multi-party committee concerned with so-called integrated resorts, also referred to in Japan policy circles as “IRs”.

The draft agenda for the conference additionally mentions contributions from Lawrence Ho Yau Lung, chairman and chief executive of Asian casino operator Melco Resorts and Entertainment Ltd; from George Tanasijevich, managing director of global development for Las Vegas Sands Corp and CEO of Marina Bay Sands Pte Ltd, the operator of the group’s Singapore gaming resort; and from Tom Arasi, president and chief operating officer of Solaire Resort and Casino, a Manila property developed by the Philippines’ Bloomberry Resorts Corp.

Industry leaders on the list of confirmed speakers or contributors at the Japan Gaming Congress include: Mark Frissora, the chief executive of U.S.-based casino firm Caesars Entertainment Corp; Ed Bowers, senior vice president, global gaming development at MGM Resorts International, and also described by the event organisers as CEO of MGM Resorts’ Japan division; and Michael Mecca, president of Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd, a firm that – like MGM Resorts’ unit MGM China Holdings Ltd and Melco Resorts – is currently one of Macau’s six casino operators.

Mr Iwaya is a leading member of Japan’s governing Liberal Democratic Party, and was involved in the efforts to steer – via the country’s two-chamber parliament – an enabling bill for casino resorts. That legislation came into effect on December 26. A second statute – commonly referred to as the “IR Implementation Bill” will deal with the location of such resorts and the system to regulate them.

Also on the list of confirmed attendees for the Japan Gaming Congress are executives from leading casino equipment suppliers including: Tom Jingoli, executive vice president and chief commercial officer of gaming equipment supplier Konami Gaming Inc; Fabio Celadon, senior vice president, IGT International; Takashi Maekawa, vice president for business development at Sega Sammy Creation Inc; and Warren Jowett, a senior advisor on Japan for Aristocrat Leisure Ltd.

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