Ground preparation for MGM Osaka, Japan's first integrated resort, started in late 2023, and officials held a groundbreaking ceremony in April 20241. The project is being built on Yumeshima Island in Osaka by MGM Resorts of the United States and ORIX of Japan, at a total cost of nearly 10 billion USD1.
The centrepiece is a 27-storey tower rising 126 meters high, with two hotels holding 1,840 rooms inside1. A separate casino floor is built to take 6,000 gaming machines plus table games, and architectural documents shared with The Yomiuri Shimbun describe 23,293 square meters packed with 470 gaming tables and 6,400 electronic gaming machines1. A third hotel in the same development reaches 56 meters over 13 floors above ground plus one basement floor, with 660 rooms1. After opening, the resort expects to offer 2,500 hotel rooms across three hotel brands, and the site has 730,000 square feet of MICE and tourism space1.
MGM Resorts and ORIX each own nearly 40 percent of project shares, with 22 investors taking the rest1. MGM named Steve Zanella as President and Chief Operating Officer for Japan in 2023 from Las Vegas1.
"Ground preparation for the resort started in late 2023 and officials held a groundbreaking ceremony in April 2024."
Japan's Integrated Resorts Act sets a limit, and the government may approve up to three resorts in the entire country1. A new application period runs from 6 May to 5 November 2027, with regions including Hokkaido and Nagasaki expected to send applications1.
What it means for players
MGM Osaka will be a land-based casino inside an integrated resort, which the source describes as legal under strong controls in Japan1. Online casinos remain banned, and Japanese residents cannot play on any licensed online casino in the country1. The source says politicians and industry experts discuss whether laws will change later as interest grows in online sports and casino games, although no official legal plans exist yet1. Details of entry rules, fees or play limits for locals and visitors are not reported in the source. For background on access and what is offered inside Asian integrated resorts, see Casinos and Integrated Resorts in Asia: Who Can Enter, What You Can Play and the Rules Inside, and for the Japanese market generally, Can I Gamble in Japan?.
What happens next
Developers plan construction to run for several years and aim to finish the full resort in 20301. The next application window for further integrated resorts runs from 6 May to 5 November 20271. Further detail on the Osaka project's opening schedule is covered in When Will the Osaka Casino Resort Open?.
