Tuesday evening saw American casino giant, Caesars Entertainment Corporation, increase its lobbying efforts for the right to bring a future gambling facility to Japan by sponsoring a sold-out concert at the Tokyo Dome by Canadian singer, Celine Dion (pictured).

Caesars Entertainment Corporation used an official Wednesday press release to reveal that the two-hour performance was Dion’s first in Japan for some twelve years and marked the latest collaboration in the pair’s 15-year history. The casino operator detailed that the Quebec-born vocalist began her first residency at its The Colosseum at Caesars Palace theater in 2003 and has since gone on to perform some 1,110 shows at the 4,200-seat Las Vegas venue.

Las Vegas-headquartered, Caesars Entertainment Corporation, stated that Dion’s Tokyo performance marked the start of her 22-city Celine Dion Live 2018 tour while its President and Chief Executive Officer, Mark Frissora, declared that his firm had sponsored the event in order to demonstrate its ‘commitment to developing meaningful partnerships in Japan.’

“Caesars Entertainment Corporation is the global leader in creating world-class live entertainment experiences and we are delighted that we helped bring Celine Dion back to Japan for the first time in twelve years,” read a June 27 statement from Frissora. “Live entertainment has been key to our success as the preeminent integrated resort operator. With the integrated resort legislation reaching its final stages, we hope this concert demonstrates our commitment to developing meaningful partnerships in Japan.”

After months of consideration and debate, last week saw Japan’s 465-seat House of Representatives ratify the Integrated Resort Implementation Bill, which would license up to three integrated casino resorts for the Asian nation of over 126 million people. The measure is now set to move to the upper House of Councillors where its passage would open the doors for foreign operators and their local partners to bid for one of the three exclusive licenses.

However, Caesars Entertainment Corporation is set to face stiff competition in its quest to secure one of the coming Japanese casino licenses with the likes of Boyd Gaming Corporation, Wynn Resorts Limited, Galaxy Entertainment Group Limited and MGM Resorts International just a few of those said to also be interested in obtaining the right to open a gambling venue in the ‘Land of the Rising Sun.’

Caesars Entertainment Corporation explained via its Wednesday press release that it would like to bring ‘a world-class integrated resort’ to Japan complete with a range of superlative entertainment offerings alongside the ability to showcase ‘Japanese culture and entertainment to visitors from all over the world.’

“Entertainment for the whole family is at the core of Caesars Entertainment Corporation and it was a delight to see such a wide range of people enjoying Celine’s concert,” read a statement from Steve Tight, International Development President for Caesars Entertainment Corporation. “Shows like this take place at Caesars Entertainment Corporation’s integrated resorts every day so I hope this concert gave the audience a real taste of the type of entertainment you can expect at a Japanese entertainment resort.”