In the sports wagering industry, people look to new developments that will come up. And a lot of eyes are on Japan, as there still has been no announcement on the Integrated Resorts for the country yet. Osaka, a frontrunner in the race to be a selected location, is not going to wait and not do anything.
In fact, Osaka’s governor, Ichiro Matsui has announced that early next year, officials will begin their selection process for this venture. Soon, Osaka will be looking for potential partners to work with to be able to bid for an IT license from the operators of Japan.
Osaka as a Favorite
Osaka has always come up in the topic of an IR. These IRs are highly sought-after, as there will only be 3 IRs to be developed in the country. The locations of where these sprawling complexes will be built, will be chosen via a determined process. This will include presentations of plans to be made to the central government. Among the items to be presented, will be possible gaming partners that the local governments will pair with. The framework for these IR presentations will be launched by July 2019, at the latest.
Osaka will not be looking too hard for partners, though. There are already 8 operators lining up to pair with Osaka. For the past 6 years, since 2012, there were executives from over 11 casino companies have met with Gov. Matsui more than 25 times, just to build good faith with the local government.
Osaka is, pardon the pun, a good bet for one of the licenses. Ask anyone who is into sports betting online, and the odds of Osaka getting an IR will be pretty high. Yumeshima will be hosting the World Expo 2025 – and the location would be an ideal location for an IR. As for the local government, they could also negotiate deals with operators footing the bill on other aspects of development. It could be building certain parts of the complex, or building transportation infrastructure. Matsui reportedly wants a metro line that will connect the island to the city, for instance.
