A few developed countries don’t have casinos now, and you might know that Japan is one of them. Japan has worked on legalizing casinos for years. The fundamental law has already been rectified, and the first casino is expected to open in Osaka around 2030.
Japan announced in 2003 that it would focus on tourism. The country moved forward to the level of about thirty million tourists from overseas who came to Japan in 2019. After an unavoidable drop during the pandemic, the number came back and even topped the highest number the country achieved in the past.
The 2023 tourism strategy the ministry released contains articles on IR, including casinos. This proves that the Japanese government will keep working on tourism and see casinos as one of the key facilities to attract tourists from overseas.
The coming casinos will be mainly for tourists from overseas. Japanese citizens will reportedly be required to pay an admission fee and be imposed on the limit of their visit.
Once casinos emerge in Japan, what will happen to the gambling industry? How will it affect the existing gambling?
Compared to traditional gambling in Japan, the most innovative aspect of casinos is that they operate 24 hours a day. So, casinos will allow Japanese people to gamble throughout the day. Some fans who aspire to keep betting on something might shift to casinos from race betting because you don’t have any races to bet on, nor can’t play pachinko after midnight. Some poker fans who usually play at amusement poker houses might shift their playground to casinos, aiming for opportunities to bet real money.
What about Japanese gambling fans who frequently or sometimes go overseas just to gamble? They usually go to countries like South Korea, the Philippines, Singapore, and Macau. Some of them might hesitate to go to those countries and choose to play in Japan instead.