Inside Asian Gaming

FEB 2019 INSIDE ASIAN GAMING 35 standards in the world and at a standard acceptable to the wide majority of our citizens.” With this he established the Casino Administration Committee, responsible for various screenings related to casinos and with supervisory authority. This Committee is scheduled to be initiated on 1 July 2019. It will be an external bureau of the Cabinet Office and will have strong independent authority as a committee established under Article 3 of the National Government Organization Law. Examples of these types of committees include the Fair Trade Commission, National Public Safety Commission and Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and from this line-up we can expect the supervisory role of the Casino Administration Committee to be robust. Overseas casino regulators to be used as reference points include the Nevada Gaming Control Board and the Casino Regulatory Authority of Singapore among others. The structures of these organizations will be studied and there will be supervisory departments relating to screening and granting of licenses, as well as research departments for conducting background investigations. In addition, there are plans for departments that specialize in countermeasures for problem gambling and money laundering. In the government’s 2019 budget proposal, JPY2.9 billion was earmarked for the establishment of the Casino Administration Committee. According to the requirements, there will be four committee members and one chair, requiring the consent of the Diet, and a total of 95 persons assigned for bureau operations. Incidentally, only people holding prominent positions, such as the Governor of the Bank of Japan, the General Accounting Office Inspector or the Fair Trade Commission Chair, are eligible. UNQUESTIONABLE INTEGRITY All eyes will certainly be on the key figure to be appointed as the very first Casino Administration Committee Chair. This person will oversee an organization slated to impose the most stringent casino regulation standards in the world, carrying out strict background investigations into all individuals and enterprises involved with IRs. The words “unquestionable integrity” come to mind. The committee chair will need to be a person with Hokkaido is expected to bid for a regional IR license.