Japan’s national government has announced that the provisions of the Act on Promotion of Development of Specified Complex Tourist Facilities Areas, also known as the IR Implementation Act, will become effective as of 19 July.
The Act, originally passed into law in July 2018, outlines basic requirements for Japan’s IR and casino operations as well as measures against problem gaming.
With the act in force, operators who are licensed by the Japan Casino Regulatory Commission will not be charged with criminal gambling if they allow betting, It also includes a clause that domestic customers will be limited to three visits in a seven day period or 10 visits in a 28 day period.
The secretary of the Headquarters for Promoting Development of Specified Complex Tourist Facilities Areas has decided that return of casino profits of an IR/casino system permitted by the act, tourism promotion through IR development areas and multi-faceted addiction prevention measures were a consideration in determining the act are all in compliance with criminal law.
From October 2021 to April 2022, the government will accept development applications from local governments, then approve IRs in a maximum of three locations in Japan. Currently four areas are openly promoting IR projects: Osaka city/prefecture, Yokohama city, Nagasaki’s Sasebo city, and Wakayama prefecture.
