The number of people in Nagasaki Prefecture seeking counselling for gambling addiction doubled in 2017 to around 200, the Asahi Shimbun reports.
According to official figures released earlier this week, that figure compares to only around 100 in the prior year with the government stating that “gambling addiction awareness has increased” due to recent publicity over the possibility of Nagasaki winning one of three IR licenses.
A site at Huis Ten Bosch – a popular theme park in Sasebo that reimagines the Netherlands – has been highlighted as a strong contender for a regional IR license with South Africa’s Peermont Group telling Inside Asian Gaming earlier this year that it had already singled the site out as the sole location of its IR bid.
The majority of those seeking gambling addiction help in Nagasaki in 2017 cited pachinko as the cause. They were treated at a range of locations including eight public health centers and the Nagasaki Support Centre for Children, Women and Persons with Disabilities.
