Tokyo's Most Popular Casino Location

Tokyo's coastal Odaiba area is the most popular casino resort in Japan, according to an online survey by Japanese advertising and public relations agency Hakuhodo Inc.

The Japan Times reported that 25.9% of the respondents chose the most attractive place as a casino resort, with southern Okinawa Prefecture coming in second with 14.2%. Osaka, which accounted for 13.2 percent of the total votes, came in third.

The survey of 4,700 respondents was conducted in March.

Hakuhodo's estimate, quoted by the Japan Times, noted that the casino resort in Odaiba could attract 24 million Japanese visitors per year – the forecast excluded international visitors. Excluding shopping spending, Odaiba's casino resorts could generate up to 2.9 trillion yen ($28.5 billion) in annual sales, the agency added.

Hakuhodo predicted that Okinawa's casino resort could attract about 14 million domestic visitors annually, generating 1.3 trillion yen in sales. If located in Osaka, the casino resort is estimated to attract 13 million visitors and 1.9 trillion yen.

The Japanese government plans to set up a new body to speed up the process of granting and opening Japan's first casino resort in time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, a senior government spokesman said earlier this month.

The legalization of casinos in Japan will be two legal procedures. After the revitalization bill to legalize casino resorts at the conceptual level, the second bill will detail the specifics, including how they are managed and regulated.

Japan's House of Representatives Cabinet Committee began discussing the bill last month. However, the Japanese parliament is now adjourned.

GGRASIA has obtained notes on key topics already discussed by Cabinet committees. In it, lawmakers are most clearly showing their interest in involving foreign game operators in casino resorts so far-reaching casino resorts. The memo also shows that entry taxes can be imposed on foreigners as well as Koreans, casinos that will be legalized in Japan.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says he will try to pass a bill to legalize casinos in the next parliament. According to media reports, there are at least six prefectural governments competing to host casino complexes: Osaka, Tokyo, Hokkaido, Nagasaki, Miyazaki and Okinawa. 슬롯머신