Chinese gambling travel blacklist could negatively affect IR casino expansion in Japan
Kenji Eda, Member of the House of Representatives of Japan, wants to know if Japan's push for integrated resorts will put Japan on a China travel blacklist, but for the moment, the Japanese government has chosen to remain silent. According to Eda, this decision could have a major impact on Japan's early integrated resort developments, which would rely heavily on wealthy Chinese visitors.
Specific details on the China gambling travel blacklist have not yet been provided
Known as some of the top spenders in East Asia, Chinese gamblers are the target audience for any casino resort in the region, be it the Philippines, South Korea, Cambodia, and soon Japan. China has stepped up its efforts in Cambodia and the Philippines, where it has intervened numerous times to restrict games.
According to some media, the blacklist, originally revealed by China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism in August last year and expanded earlier this month, comprises overseas tourist destinations that are "disrupting" China's outbound tourism market by opening casinos targeting mainland Chinese customers. These lists imposed travel restrictions on Chinese citizens going to blacklisted cities and places abroad. Rather, the country would prefer to keep the estimated $ 150 billion outflow of gambling money closer to home and Macau.
The blacklist system would make it impossible for Chinese citizens to visit specific cities around the world that are associated with gambling, and Japan's Integrated Resort may be one of them.
What is clear is that the Japanese government is aware of China's decision to expand its gambling travel blacklist, but it does not know the details of this list.
Canceled Flights and Banned Jurisdictions
China is working hard and expanding its blacklist of cities and destinations that are hotspots for casinos and gambling. The Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism along with other departments are trying to identify those countries and add them to the list, although those destinations have not been publicly disclosed.
Nagasaki Integrated Resort
Nagasaki prefecture revealed in December 2020 that it will launch its request for a proposal for an integrated resort on January 7, 2021. Governor Hōdō Nakamura said that Nagasaki will continue to work towards an integrated resort that helps both the local economy and tourism.
Although Japan planned to open its first IR by 2025, the process may be delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and reduced travel globally. Added to this is China's decision to expand its black list of cities and destinations that are hotspots for casinos and gambling. This worries the Japanese government as Chinese tourists inevitably play a vital role in the success of most casinos in the region.
There are a total of four prefectures in Japan seeking to establish an RI, Osaka, Wakayama, Nagasaki, and the city of Yokohama. In March of last year, Osaka launched its RPF (Request for Proposal) and the only company that requested it was MGM Resorts. The same month, Wakayama released its RFP and two companies showed interest, Suncity Group and Clairvest. Four companies are expected to have an interest in the Nagasaki offering, Pixel Companyz in association with Groupe Partouche, Get Nice Holdings in collaboration with Current Corp, Oshidori International Holdings and Casinos Austria.
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