Inside Asian Gaming

IAG MAY 2019年5月 亞博匯 92 The operator itself must be able to finance the development [on its own]. We exclude any operators who say, “Okay, we’ll invest in Wakayama, if Japanese companies or local companies of Wakayama can invest a larger amount of money to the project.” This kind of operator we have to exclude. Once thegovernment has issued thedetailedregulations, we will go through the due process and select our partner operator who can bring the biggest benefit to Wakayama. MC: Do you hope that will happen this year? YN: We are ready, but we have to wait until the central government issues the detailed regulations. We believe we have to wait at least two-and-a-half years until the government decides which areas it will give licenses to. MC: How confident are you that Wakayama will win an IR license? YN: Inmy personal opinion, objectively speaking, Wakayama is sure to win one of the licenses. And I strongly believe that the government will have the same opinion. This project is very promising and that’s why we are so keen. JAPAN consultant Deloitte Tohmatsu to give us estimates in many areas. And we had an estimate that the amount of investment in a Wakayama IR was expected to reach JPY280 billion (US$2.5 billion), and it will create an economic ripple effect annually of about JPY300 billion. Wakayama is not a prefecture with a large economy: its current annual GDP is about JPY3.5 trillion. Given that number, the IR will boost GDP by nearly 10%. IR development is a very important driving force for the economy. That’s why we are keenly engaged in the establishment of the IR in Wakayama Prefecture. MC: Have any local Japanese companies expressed IR interest? And how do you see them fitting in? YN: First, I believe that many Japanese companies are interested in joining in the development of IRs inWakayama Prefecture and the Kansai Region. Those companies include large scale companies operating nationwide and Kansai based, representative companies, traditional companies and also local companies in Wakayama. What we have to do is select the main operator and ascertain whether their financing is solid or not.