The Osaka Prefectural Assembly voted on March 24, 2022 to approve the development plan for an integrated resort (IR) that includes a casino, which the prefecture and the city of Osaka are seeking to attract. The plan passed by a majority with support from Osaka Ishin no Kai, Komeito and the Liberal Democratic Party1. The city assembly was expected to follow on March 29, and the prefecture and city planned to apply to the national government for certification of the plan by the April 28 deadline, putting Osaka ahead of the three regions competing to host an IR1.
According to the plan, the IR operator is a consortium led by United States-based MGM Resorts International and Orix. Initial investment is 1 trillion 80 billion yen, and the resort is scheduled to open around autumn or winter of 2029 on the artificial island of Yumeshima in Osaka's Konohana Ward. It projects 20 million visitors a year and 520 billion yen in annual sales1.
The city assembly approved the related proposals on March 29 by a majority of Osaka Ishin no Kai and Komeito, after the prefectural assembly passed the plan on March 24. The prefecture and city then planned to apply to the national government for IR development plan certification by the April 28 deadline2. The LDP, which supports IRs in national politics, opposed the plan in the Osaka city assembly. Mayor Ichiro Matsui and others had said there would be no public burden from the IR, but at the end of last year the city announced it would bear about 79 billion yen for measures including liquefaction countermeasures at the construction site. The city assembly group criticized this, saying the explanation had been reversed2.
Opposition to the bid was voiced in large numbers at resident briefings and public comment periods on the development plan. The city assembly summoned the operator as a reference witness on March 16 for questioning. A concern behind this is that only MGM and Orix responded to the operator recruitment, raising the question of whether talks proceeded at the operator's pace1.
"大阪府議会は24日、府と大阪市が誘致を目指すカジノを含む統合型リゾート（IR）の整備計画を大阪維新の会や公明党、自民党などの賛成多数で可決した"
What it means for players
The approvals move Osaka's casino-including resort closer to national certification, but no casino has opened. The plan targets an opening around autumn or winter of 2029 on Yumeshima, so gambling at the Osaka IR is not possible now. Japan's casino rules, including who may enter and what residents pay, are set nationally and are separate from this local vote. The plan's projected 20 million annual visitors and 520 billion yen in sales are forecasts, not results. The public burden of about 79 billion yen for site work is a cost to the city, not a fee on players.
What happens next
The prefecture and city planned to apply to the national government for IR development plan certification by the April 28, 2022 deadline1. National certification has not been reported as granted.
Sources2 sources
- IR整備計画、大阪府議会が可決 協議は事業者ペースとの懸念も：朝日新聞, asahi.com
- 大阪のカジノ含むIR、大阪市議会でも可決 国に認定申請へ：朝日新聞, asahi.com
