Osaka IR plan judged certifiable with 657.9 points; Nagasaki review continued

Japan's review committee for integrated resort (IR) area development plans has judged the Osaka plan certifiable, scoring it 657.9 points against a 600-point threshold, the Japan Tourism Agency said. The committee said Osaka's submission is a plan that can be certified. Nagasaki's review has not finished and will continue.

The committee is made up of outside experts appointed by the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism under the national IR basic policy, and the minister must consult the IR Promotion Headquarters, which comprises all cabinet ministers plus the chairman of the Casino Management Commission, before granting certification¹. The score is the average of marks from seven committee members¹. Certification rests on two sets of criteria: 19 mandatory requirements that a plan must satisfy, and 25 evaluation criteria used to grade strong plans¹.

Osaka's plan is backed by MGM Resorts Japan (40 percent) and Orix (40 percent), with minority shareholders holding 20 percent, among them JR West, Kintetsu, Keihan, Nankai, JTB, Nittsu, Obayashi, Taisei, Daiwa House and Takenaka, about 20 companies in total¹.

Nagasaki's plan is led by Casinos Austria International alongside numerous other foreign investors holding 80 percent, with domestic minority shareholders at 20 percent¹.

The scoring breakdown for Osaka, as published, includes 90.0 of 150 points for problem gambling measures, 37.9 of 50 for the operator's business execution capacity, 37.1 of 50 for regional economic effect, and 27.1 of 50 for building good relations with the local community¹.

What it means for players

Certification of the Osaka plan is a step toward a casino opening at Yumeshima, projected for autumn to winter 2029, but no casino license has been granted and no opening date is fixed. Under the process set out, the operator must still apply for a casino license to the Casino Management Commission, and the facility must pass a completion inspection before it can operate¹. Until then, the rules that apply to gambling in Japan are unchanged. Nagasaki's plan remains under review, so no certification decision exists for it.

What happens next

The review of Nagasaki's area development plan continues¹. For Osaka, the process moves to the IR Promotion Headquarters for consultation and opinion, agreement with the heads of relevant administrative bodies, and then certification and public announcement by the minister, followed by the operator's casino license application and, after construction, a completion inspection¹.

For background on how these resorts are regulated and who may enter, see Casinos and Integrated Resorts in Asia: Who Can Enter, What You Can Play and the Rules Inside and Can I Gamble in Japan?.