Japan is getting its first casino but is in no hurry.Japan legalized casinos in 2018 and it took five years for the first project to be approved.The government said Friday, 2029 A proposed casino complex in Osaka has received the go-ahead as part of a $13.5 billion project due to open in 2019, it said. Reuters report. The local government, which rejected calls for a referendum, said the complex, which will also include a hotel, entertainment and shopping complex, will attract 20 million visitors a year from home and abroad.
The casino was legalized in the country after years of lobbying from foreign casino operators. Critics of the project argued that too many people in Japan already have gambling problems. Guardian report. Beyond the country’s thousands of pachinko parlors, legal gambling options are limited to lotteries and soccer, bicycle racing, horse racing, motorcycle racing and motorboat racing, while yakuza gangs operate illegal casinos. It is known to have
A poll this month found that 45% of Osaka residents are in favor of building a resort, 38% are against it, and the rest are uncertain. Authorities have said they plan to cap the number of Japanese gamblers to ease concerns about gambling addiction, and that families will be able to ask relatives to ban them. will be charged about $45 per 24-hour period, part of which will go toward efforts to combat gambling addiction, officials said. (Read more Japanese stories.)
