In Japan and the city of Osaka has reportedly launched the latest request for proposal (RFP) stage of its campaign to secure one of the nation’s coming trio of integrated casino resort licenses.

According to a report from GGRAsia, the metropolis of approximately 2.6 million people is hoping to be given permission to bring its envisioned Las Vegas-style development to a 121-acre portion of the man-made Yumeshima Island so as to help boost the local economy through an expected swell in tourism. However, the source detailed that the Honshu conurbation is facing stiff competition for one of the three licenses from a number of other runners including the city of Yokohama and communities in Nagasaki Prefecture and Wakayama Prefecture.

Particular process:

Although most gambling is currently illegal in Japan, the coalition government of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe passed legislation in July of 2018 that will see the nation of some 126 million inhabitants license a trio of integrated casino resorts featuring hotels, exhibition facilities and large gaming floors. To be in the running for one of these lucrative developments and host locales are first being required to select a foreign firm to run their proposed gambling-friendly venue in advance of submitting their completed license applications to a panel of federal selectors before the conclusion of an April of 2022 deadline.

Distinct deadline:

Osaka has reportedly pronounced that parties interested in being nominated to serve as its official foreign operating partner now have until April 6 to submit plans concerning just how they would hope to fulfil the final version of the community’s comprehensive implementation policy. Although Japan’s third largest city launched the inaugural RFP stage of its casino effort in 2019, it was purportedly forced to delay the process in June as a direct result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic following the receipt of definitive proposals from Galaxy Entertainment Group Limited, MGM Resorts International and Genting Malaysia Berhad.

Future forecast:

City officials reportedly told GGRAsia that they are now eager to have picked a definitive foreign operating partner by the end of September with a successful outcome likely resulting in the integrated casino resort for Yumeshima Island opening ‘in the latter half’ of the decade.

Nagasaki narrowing:

In related news and GGRAsia used a second report to detail that Nagasaki Prefecture has now whittled its list of partner operator candidates down to three entities encompassing European gambling giant Casinos Austria International and consortiums headed by Oshidori International Holdings Limited and The Niki and Chyau Fwu (Parkview) Group. The source explained that this reduction has come at the expense of Mohegan Gaming and Entertainment and Groupe Partouche, who had joined in the race for the right to run an integrated casino resort being planned for a 74-acre plot of land located next to the Huis Ten Bosch theme park.

Stimulating summer:

Nagasaki Prefecture reportedly now intends to engage in ‘competitive dialogue’ with the remaining trio of would-be partners and conduct a series of robust probity tests before viewing definitive project presentations in August. The Kyushu jurisdiction purportedly asserted that it then envisions picking an ultimate winner sometime early next year in anticipation of being able to bring an integrated casino resort to its environs by the beginning of the next decade.