Inside Asian Gaming

JUNE 2018 INSIDE ASIAN GAMING 37 Casino Control Commission, initiating RFPs, selecting operators and approving design plans would likely take much longer than has been publicly iterated. In particular, he predicted that the three winning operator bids to be granted a Japan casino license would not be determined until 2024 “at the earliest.” Putting such extremes aside however, the safe money seems to be on Japan’s first IR opening around 2025 or 2026. This is not only the opinion of the majority of politicians we spoke to – including the IR leader of the LDP’s coalition partner Komeito, Kiyohiko Toyama – but also multiple industry analysts and consultants. Melco Resorts Chairman and CEO Lawrence Ho offers a similar view, telling CNBC that, “Assuming the whole legislation process goes very smoothly without any hiccups I think the earliest the FEATURES By breaking down the implementation process into individual segments, the year 2025 emerges as the most likely scenario assuming no further unexpected delays along the way. Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary of the LDP, Yasutoshi Nishimura , remains hopeful that Japan’s first IR can open in the early 2020s.