Wakayama Governor remaining bullish on casino plans

In Japan, the Governor for the Wakayama Prefecture has reportedly revealed that he is prepared to go all out in order to win the right to host one of three integrated casino resorts that could open in the island nation as early as 2022.

According to a Sunday report from Asia Gaming Brief, Yoshinobu Nisaka made the revelation during an exclusive interview conducted at the recent Japan Gaming Congress in Tokyo with the seasoned politician also stating that he wants to bring the hoped-for integrated casino resort to his region’s 121-acre Wakayama Marina City entertainments facility near the city of Kainan.

Although most casino gambling is currently illegal in Japan, the coalition government of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is hoping to pass the Integrated Resort Implementation Bill through the 465-seat House of Representatives in advance of a June 20 deadline. This piece of legislation would legalize up to three integrated casino resorts for the nation of almost 127 million moreover featuring a myriad of hotels, shops and conference spaces.

Asia Gaming Brief reported that Nisaka is undeterred by the prospect of expected competition for one of the integrated casino resort licenses from the nearby city of Osaka because he believes the Integrated Resort Implementation Bill does not forbid two communities in the same region from hosting such a facility. He additionally purportedly stated that the Wakayama endeavor would be one of the most lucrative in the nation and benefit from the existing infrastructure that already exists at Wakayama Marina City.

Built on an artificial island in Wakaura Bay, Wakayama Marina City opened in 1994 and Asia Gaming Brief reported that Nisaka believes the development offers easy access to major transportation routes and would require comparatively less investment than other proposed sites.

“Those who say our chances are close to zero are wrong,” Nisaka, who was the sole official of his level to attend the Japan Gaming Congress, reportedly told Asia Gaming Brief. “We are not people who waste our time.”

Nisaka reportedly told Asia Gaming Brief that he anticipates briefing potential operators about the Wakayama Marina City integrated casino resort plan early next month before setting a late-August deadline for submissions.

Finally, Nisaka reportedly declared that there is a high probability that Wakayama Mayor Masahiro Obana could be persuaded to accept local visitors to the hoped-for integrated casino resort when the final plan for the venue is sent for approval in a few years’ time. However, he purportedly detailed that this prospect could be hurt if July 29 elections see the mayor lose his job to anti-gambling candidate Kumiko Shima.