After the Friday passage of a framework bill regarding “gambling addiction” by the House of Councillors, the upper house of Japan’s parliament [Diet], work is now set to begin at both the local government and national level to put into practice public policy measures to deal with the topic.

Previously in Japan, there had been widespread reports that enactment of the measure, the Basic Bill on Gambling Addiction Countermeasures, was deemed a necessary precursor to the emergence of integrated resorts in Japan.

The lower parliamentary chamber of Japan’s National Diet, the House of Representatives, passed the anti-gambling addiction bill in May after earlier in the month the bill was reportedly jointly submitted to the Diet by the parliamentary membership of the country’s two governing parties, the opposition Japan Restoration Party and Prime Minister, Shinzō Abe’s, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and coalition partner, Komeito.

GGRAsia reports that according to information it has compiled, required by the statute in question is for the basic outline for gambling addiction measures to be prepared by the central government and the plan of execution regarding such measures to be prepared by local governments.

Not only casino gambling is encompassed in the bill and its policies, but also to be included are pachinko and spectator events such as horse racing and boat, bicycle and motorcycle races, which current regulations allow players to wager on.

Once the anti-addiction framework has been passed, Japan’s parliament is expected to begin the discussion in a committee of the upper house regarding the Integrated Resorts (IR) Implementation Bill, with an anticipated resolution date of July 19, prior to the extension of the current 150-day regular Diet session which ends on July 22.

Passed on June 19 by the House of Representatives, should the IR Implementation Bill get the nod in the current Diet session, GGRAsia reports that a number of industry executives anticipate that sometime around 2020, the first casino license will be issued, with an expected opening date for the first integrated resorts (IRs) in or around 2025.

In related news, not only is Caesars Entertainment Corporation (Nasdaq: CZR) reportedly scouting the Japanese entertainment market for a potential theater for an IR, but the Las Vegas-based casino giant has also increased its lobbying efforts for the right to bring a resort to the island nation having sponsored a sold-out concert on June 26 at the Tokyo Dome by Canadian singer, Celine Dion.