Japanese government rejects bid to open casino resort in Nagasaki

Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has rejected the Comprehensive Development Plan for a casino resort in Nagasaki. Local news agencies reported this on December 27.

Authorities cited insufficient evidence to support the credibility of the project's funding.

Let us recall that an integrated entertainment resort in Nagasaki was planned to be built on the territory of the Huis Ten Bosch theme park. In a gambling establishment with an area of 9 thousand square meters. meters it was planned to place 220 gaming tables and 2,200 slot machines. The casino resort would also include a hotel with an area of more than 100 thousand square meters. meters, an exhibition hall with an area of over 20 thousand square meters. meters and a conference hall with a capacity of six thousand people.

As previously reported, the Osaka Casino Resort Comprehensive Development Plan was approved in April 2023. The integrated entertainment resort in Osaka will be built by 2030 on a 49-hectare site on the artificial island of Yumeshima in Osaka Bay. The tender to launch the integrated resort was won by the Osaka IR consortium (SPC), which includes operator MGM Resorts Japan and local company ORIX.

It is expected that 20.5 million people will visit the KRIs annually, of which 14 million will be Japanese citizens and 6.5 million will be foreigners. Osaka authorities expect the integrated entertainment resort's gaming operations to generate annual turnover of about 430 billion yen, and non-gaming operations to generate 110 billion yen.

It should be noted that according to the KRI Law, which came into force on July 19, 2021, up to three casino resorts are allowed to open in Japan.