The Japanese government yesterday said it has approved a controversial plan to build the country’s first legal casino in Osaka, hoping to draw tourists after years of wrangling.
The local governments of Osaka and Nagasaki in western Japan have long sought approval to build an integrated resort (IR) including casinos, convention centers, hotels, restaurants and entertainment venues.
The Osaka plan, which aims to open the casino by 2029, was approved after “sufficient examination from various perspectives,” Japanese Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Tetsuo Saito said.
Photo: AFP
“We expect the IR will become a tourism base that will disseminate the charm of Japan,” he said.
Japan was long the only developed nation that banned casinos, but it in 2016 passed legislation paving the way to make the industry legal.
In 2018, the Japanese legislature enacted a law allowing the construction of integrated resorts.
Critics warn that approving casinos could worsen the country’s already significant gambling problem.
A 2021 government survey found that about 2.2 percent of the population, or 2.8 million people, are affected by gambling addiction.
Many are hooked on pinball-like pachinko slot machines, which together annually generate about ￥14.6 trillion (US$1.1 trillion) in revenue.
About 7,600 pachinko parlors dot the nation, many readily accessible near train stations, using legal loopholes to let winners exchange tokens for cash.
The country also has a multi-trillion-yen market for government-controlled races of horses, motorcycles, boats and bicycles, along with soccer betting and a lottery.
The government says any integrated resort seeking approval would have to submit their plans to prevent gambling addiction.
There is a cap on the number of visits to a facility by Japanese, and family members can request a relative be banned from entering a casino, Saito said.
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