Until around 2030 when the first casino opens in Osaka, Japanese gambling fans will have no choice but to go to overseas casinos. Which country are they most likely to visit?
The first option is South Korea. Making a trip to South Korea is affordable as various airlines, including LCCs, provide flights to and from many cities in Japan. Most fans go to the casinos near Incheon International Airport and in Seoul. Busan, the second largest city in the southern part of South Korea, also has several casinos. People can go to Busan from Fukuoka city by a rapid ferryboat. In fact, South Korea has attracted many tourists from Japan for years, not just for gambling but also for local cuisines, cosmetics, and entertainment such as TV shows and K-pop.
Macau and Singapore are also popular among Japanese fans. Singapore, in particular, is an attractive destination for regular tourists due to its variety of tourist attractions, such as Universal Studio Singapore. It’s a country that boasts public safety good enough for families, including kids, to visit.
However, there is a disappointing aspect commonly seen in casinos in both Singapore and Macau. That is a prohibitively raised minimum bet. This has been reportedly brought about by a massive influx of wealthy people from mainland China, making it a challenge for regular gamblers.
Personally, I remember that the minimum SicBo bet in casinos in Singerpole when I visited in 2014 was about $5. When I visited again in 2018, I was shocked to see a sharp rise in the minimum bet to $50. It’s not financially realistic for ordinary Japanese to play for hours in Singapore Casinos anymore!
The Philippines are more friendly in terms of reasonable minimum bets. Fewer costs for staying and several large casinos have attracted Japanese gambling fans so far. In contrast to casino fans, general Japanese tourists don’t dare choose the Philippines as their destination partly because the country doesn’t have well-known tourist attractions or local cuisines. Their biggest concern is its poor public security, particularly in Manilla.
Australia and New Zealand have casinos in most major cities across the nation. However, Japanese people don’t often choose those cities as gambling destinations. They would rather go to Las Vegas than both countries because any of the destinations requires almost the same flight hours as Las Vegas. In fact, I saw only a few Japanese when I visited Crown Casino in Melbourne in 2013. The casino then boasted its magnificence as “the largest casino in the southern hemisphere” and literally brought me a great experience.