Japan confirms dates for second round of casino bids

The new application period will allow local governments to submit proposals to bid for up to two licences for integrated resorts with casinos.

Japan.- The Japanese central government has confirmed that a second application window for proposals for integrated resort (IR) developments with casinos will run from May 6 to November 5, 2027. The timeline was approved through an amendment to a Cabinet Order under the Act on Development of Specified Integrated Resort Districts, Japan’s regulatory framework for casino resorts.

According to the Japan Tourism Agency, the order will take effect on March 13 and will enable local authorities to submit new IR district development plans. Under the system, prefectures or ordinance-designated cities must partner with private-sector investors to prepare an integrated resort proposal before submitting it to the national government. Final approval would be granted by the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

Japan’s IR legislation allows for a maximum of three casino-integrated resorts nationwide. Only one project was approved following the first round of applications: the MGM Osaka integrated resort project, led by MGM Resorts International and Orix Corporation. The development, located on Yumeshima Island in Osaka, is under construction and is expected to open in 2030.

Areas previously linked to potential casino resort developments include Nagasaki, Wakayama and Hokkaido, while the Tokyo Bay area has also been discussed in the past as a possible location. More recently, Aichi Prefecture opened a public consultation on a draft implementation policy for a potential integrated resort on a landfill island near Chubu Centrair International Airport.

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The new application period will allow local governments to submit proposals to bid for up to two licences for integrated resorts with casinos. Japan.- The Japanese central government has confirmed that a second application window for proposals for integrated resort (IR) developments with casinos will run from May 6 to November 5, 2027. The timeline…