Japan is unlikely to see a casino bill submitted to parliament by the end of the year. It’s mainly due to the continued recovery from the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit the country earlier this year. Even though experts have predicted that it’s very unlikely to pass by the end of the year, campaigners are still pushing hard.
142 politicians of all shapes, sizes and parties including the ruling Democratic Party of Japan have kept the bill alive. They’ve even been given a name by the press – the “Kajino Giren.” That must make them feel extra special and is a lot better than their own name, IR Giren (integrated resort committee to you and me).
“If we’re able to get the casino bill ready, we would like to submit the bill during the fall extraordinary parliamentary session but we’re not sure the bill will be ready by that time,” said Toshihiko Satake, political aide to Issei Koga, chairman of the IR Giren committee.
Further tweaks are being added all the time, and the aide added, “There are still many questions on how to allow gambling to be privatised and how to control the industry.”
Plans are already reportedly afoot for a casino in the region where the quake-hit nuclear plant of Fukishima is situated. Professor Yutaka Morohoshi warned that it would need to be some distance away from there to be profitable.
Japan could easily become another port of call for gambling in Asia and much like everywhere else, it’s likely that it would be highly successful.