While Macau casino firm Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd will not take part in the Japanese city of Yokohama’s request-for-proposal (RFP) process concerning its search for a commercial partner for a casino resort, three other earlier suitors were assumed to be still to be in the race, when on Monday Yokohama (pictured) closed the RFP application window.
The three remaining anticipated contenders include Genting Singapore Ltd, Japan-based entertainment and gaming conglomerate Sega Sammy Holdings Inc, and global operator Melco Resorts and Entertainment Ltd.
According to GGRAsia’s Japan correspondent, for the rest of this month Yokohama will examine the qualifications of participants in terms of the RFP phase.
From June 1 to June 11, the city will have a window for receiving the actual RFP submissions from the qualified candidates, with the aim of choosing a single suitor this summer.
Genting Singapore is the operator of Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore. The firm said on May 7 it would contend Yokohama’s RFP.
According to information collated by GGRAsia’s Japan correspondent, Sega Sammy Holdings proposes to be a minority investor in an Yokohama project, with the aim of linking with an overseas operator, as majority investor.
Melco Resorts said on April 28 it would stay in the Yokohama contest.
Japanese group Shotoku Corp had previously been mentioned as a Yokohama suitor. The latter had been among five entities that took part in the city’s fresh request-for-concept stage, the metropolis confirmed on January 21.
It is not clear from the latest available information whether Shotoku is still in the RFP phase.
Galaxy Entertainment said in a Monday press release it had decided “to not participate” in the “current” Yokohama RFP, factoring the global economic impact of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
The firm said nonetheless that it “remains interested in pursuing an integrated resort licence in Japan”. The term integrated resort, or “IR”, is used in Japan to define large-scale tourism and business-meeting facilities with a casino.
