MGM are among the front-runners to win the contract to build the first-ever bricks-and-mortar casino in Osaka, Japan. Their $9.1 Billion plans in partnership with the Orix Corporation make it potentially the most expensive gaming property on record.
MGM launching a new casino in Japan
Japan has some of the strictest anti-gambling laws of any country in the world. Those rules make real-money live poker an underground offering only. But there are a few exceptions, such as the $200billion a year pachinko industry.
However, a casino resort the likes of which grace Las Vegas and Macau was only a pipedream until three years ago. That’s when legislation was passed that would allow for up to three dedicated casino resorts.
The Covid-19 pandemic has slowed things down as the biggest players in the casino industry vied to win the contract. Recently, MGM has emerged as the most likely to break first soil with their project, near Osaka — an area with 19million inhabitants.
MGM’s plans would see them build on the city’s Yumeshima artificial island in Osaka Bay. You can see another of their envisioned casino resort designs seen below…
A huge hotel facility is coming up
It would include a 100,000 m2 hotel facility with between 2,000 and 2,500 rooms and a 20,000 m2exhibition hall that can hold up to 6,000 people.
The good news is that MGM’s projected costs have been reined in from the possible $15billion price tag mooted a couple of years ago. The bad news is that their hoped-for 2024 opening date could be delayed by half a decade or even more.
Asia Gaming Brief recently reported: “In terms of the timeline for opening, however, it has now been pushed back even further, with the proposal suggesting that business operations may commence sometime between 2028 and 2030.”
Meanwhile, the Japan Times reported this week that “political scandals and public opposition” could also prove to be stumbling blocks for the multinational firms looking to cash in on Japan’s change of gambling heart.
What it all means for poker players in the island nation that is home to 120million people is unclear. The majority of Japan’s poker pros have made their names and lives playing outside of Japan.
Their leading live tournament money winner, Tsugunari Toma, has amassed $2,271,373 playing around the globe, the Natural8 poker site ambassador’s cashes ranging from Macau to the Czech Republic.
Some poker companies, PokerStars included, have run live events in Japan but without cash prizes. They offered packages to live events in other countries instead of money.
Whether this will change with the legalization of casinos and at least three mega-resorts eventually being built remains to be seen. However, it has to be a step in the right direction for the hopes and dreams of Japanese poker.
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