Hokkaido prefecture continued work on Tuesday toward deciding whether to adopt a formal policy on pursuing an integrated resort with a casino. A final draft of its position paper is due to be presented to the prefectural assembly in September, with the prefecture’s basic stance expected to be finalised in October.
Policy Draft Takes Shape
The paper, titled “The basic stance on IR of Hokkaido prefecture,” is intended to provide the foundation for Governor Naomichi Suzuki to decide whether to move ahead with the casino resort initiative. If he does, it would also serve as the starting point for the prefecture’s implementation policy and for preparing the IR District Development Plan required by the national government.
The deadline for the next bidding period for national applications for an integrated resort will commence from May 6, 2027, to November 5, 2027. Thus, the document concerning this issue is being crafted in good time, as the decision about participation in this process is made by the prefecture.
Draft Sets Out Conditions
At Tuesday’s prefectural assembly meeting, the current draft of the paper stated that the IR business entity should be a special-purpose company with Hokkaido companies involved. It also said the purpose of establishing the IR is to capture new tourism demand from affluent individuals and inbound tourists, while maximising the economic effect across Hokkaido prefecture.
The draft further clarified that the location municipality would need to make administrative investments, including securing land and developing infrastructure. Those points indicate that any move toward an IR would require cooperation between the prefecture and the municipality chosen for the project.
Tomakomai Still Leads
Meanwhile, two other developments happened recently and supported Tomakomai as the favorite site. Hakodate, one of the sites mentioned as another potential place, still has not reached a unanimous decision concerning its participation.
This was seen when the authority said during the question and answer portion of a plenary meeting that the city had not yet reached a consensus for the creation of an IR project and had yet to acquire the necessary land area. Thus, in summary, it is nearly impossible for them to work on it for the next application. That statement appears to rule the city out of contention for now.
Only Approved Project
The only gambling resort in Japan that has been licensed is called MGM Osaka. It is a project costing Y1.51 trillion being carried out jointly by Osaka city and prefecture, MGM Resorts International, Japanese company Orix Corp, and others. It is estimated that its completion will be within 2030.
As for Hokkaido, it all depends on what will be contained in the paper concerning the future plans for its IR policy. With Tomakomai still ahead and Hakodate fading from the race, the autumn deadline now appears to be the key point in the prefecture’s IR timetable.
Source: GGR Asia
AloJapan.com