Yesterday, the two ruling parties in Japan reached a consensus on the long-awaited casino gambling legislation, which is to expand the country’s gambling market. The bill that is to allow casino gambling in Japan is expected to be submitted to the Diet later in April, with the Japanese Government sharing its hopes to see the law brought into action by the end of the ongoing Parliament session. The latter is expected to close on June 20th.
If the Japanese parliament passes the so-called Integrated Resorts bill, casino gambling would be officially permitted in the country, with the first venues expected to open around the middle of 2020. According to the Government, the expansion of the local gambling market could attract more foreign visitors to the country, which on the other hand could be beneficial for regional economies outside the capital.
On Tuesday, the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito, its junior coalition partner, agreed on the integrated resorts bill, and more specifically, on the amount of future casino entrance fee. According to the consensus reached between the two parties, local residents are to be charged ¥6,000 while foreign visitors will be allowed to enter Japanese casinos for free.
Before reaching a compromise, the coalition partner of the Liberal Democrats – Komeito – insisted on a ¥8,000 entrance fee to be paid per visit, seeking to equalize it to the one charged in Singapore. The Liberal Democratic Party, on the other hand, called for the Central Government to implement a ¥5,000 entrance fee, saying such a fee would be more acceptable considering the difference in the gross domestic product per capita of Japan and Singapore.
Opposition Party and Public Concerns
Now, it remains to be seen whether the integrated resorts bill, which would pave the way for casino gambling in Japan, would be able to pass the Diet, as opposition parties still protest against the piece of legislation. According to them, casino gambling expansion would end up increasing problem gambling rates.
As revealed by a Government survey released in September 2017, approximately 3.2 million adult citizens of Japan are suspected to have dealt with gambling-related harm and gambling addiction.
According to the deputy director of National Hospital Organization Kurihama Medical and Addiction Centre, Sachio Matsushita, allowing casino gambling in the country is accompanied by a risk of boosting the number of patients who deal with gambling-related harm. What is more the wider public have shared some concerns in terms of community safety issues associated with gambling addiction and entertainment facilities.
As Casino Guardian already reported, the two parties have already reached an agreement on the number of casinos, making a compromise to see casinos open doors at three locations. The Liberal Democrats and Komeito also agreed that local residents would be allowed to visit casinos three times per week, and ten times on a monthly basis. The gambling floors in so-called integrated resorts would be limited to 3% of the total floor space of integrated resort facilities. Furthermore, integrated casinos would have to pay to the Government a 30% tax on revenues generated by the resorts.
- Author
Daniel Williams
