Inside Asian Gaming

IAG MAR 2021年3月 亞博匯 62 JAPAN event, to which a representative responded, “No such obligation has been decided on. All the burden of the RFP is the responsibility of the operator.” Regarding timing, they said, “We don’t know if the election or the operator selection will happen first. They really have nothing to do with each other.” This presents a major issue. The biggest IR operators in the world are all flocking to Yokohama. On the other hand, only MGM Resorts is actively bidding for a property in Osaka, which would be a similar scale to Yokohama. If, by chance, Yokohama were to drop out of the IR race after August, timewise, all of these operators would be left without a city to bid on. The competitive environment among the corporate giants would disappear, and ending that racewithout awinner would be a massive blow to Japan’s IR ambitions. However, this is a vital process from the perspective of respecting the will of the local residents and the basis of democracy. Even though the operators must be well-aware of this fact, the lack of clarity even at this late stage is undoubtedly cause for concern. Furthermore, there are rumors that Tokyo may be a late entry to the race after the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election on 4 July. In the memorandum on questions submitted to the national government by House of Representatives member Kenji Eda of the (Constitutional Democratic Party) on 9 February of this year, one of the questions was, “I’ve heard Tokyo is preparing to announce an IR bid after the Metropolitan Assembly election, with Odaiba as the candidate location. How involved in this is the national government and what information has been shared?” It’s a question yet to be properly answered. The clock is ticking for a Yokohama IR and the pathway there appears as long and treacherous as ever.