Casino Gambling Finally Legal in Japan
Posted by Harry Kane on Tuesday, January 3, 2017
Casino gambling was finally legalised in Japan, after a long and arduous process and much discussion on the subject. On December 26, 2016, the new law took effect, officially allowing the provision of casino services within the borders of the country. If all goes well, Japan should have its first land-based casinos open in the year 2021. This is because several other bills have to be passed and implemented, including an implementation bill that will likely take up to a year to complete.
Aside from making casino gambling legal in Japan, the passed bill doesn’t do much else in terms of clarifying how the actual process will go. This is why an implementation bill must be prepared, which must include the overall number of future casinos, their locations, and their operation practices and rules. Market analysts and gambling experts have already suggested that Japan can initially support two large resorts in two major metropolitan areas. Candidates for locations include Tokyo, Osaka, Yokohama, and other big cities.
Even though the bill to have gambling legalised gathered the necessary legislative support, it appears that it is not particularly popular among the public. The idea was proposed and supported by Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the currently governing Liberal Democratic Party. After the bill in question was implemented, public support for the administration dropped by nearly six percent. Residents appear to be worried the negative effects casino ventures might have, especially the ones concerning problem gambling and addiction issues. A recent poll showed that only 12% of the interviewed residents support the opening of land-based casino resorts in Japan. On the other hand, 44% speak against it.
In order to alleviate the worries of the public, the legislators have promised to consider implementing certain policies and safeguards aimed at promoting responsible gambling and protecting people who are prone to developing gambling-related problems. What the exact measures will be is yet to be seen, but Japan certainly can take note of how other countries are handling that problem – most notably, the United Kingdom. Curiously, the public have nothing against the pachinko machines that are widely popular across all of Japan.
Japan has the potential of earning a lot of income from the planned casino resorts, with yearly income estimated between $20 – $40 billion. The country’s tourism industry also looks forward to casinos opening in major cities, as it will boost tourist rates exponentially. We will just have to wait and see how the situation with Japanese casinos unfolds.