Inside Asian Gaming

INSIDE ASIAN GAMING SEPTEMBER 2018 28 FEATURE IN FOCUS adviser to the government on integrated resorts ToruMihara explains. That’s thumbs down to “Macau type junkets ... that take risks, grant credit to patrons and recoup gambling debts.” It’s a Singapore-plus regulatory step for Japan. The Lion City allows junkets but has barely approved any, notably none fromMacau. Industry insiders suggest that, as believed to occur in Singapore, junkets will discreetly source and assist players, with accounts settled in Macau. The absence of junkets may lead development groups to favor gaming partners with Asian player databases. The Diet must pass legislation to establish and fund the Casino Control Commission with primary responsibility for creating regulations for IR operations and enforcing them. That bill is expected to pass within the next 12 months, though casino legislation has consistently taken longer than forecast for adoption. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Operators are watching carefully whether the government will evaluate applications for all three licenses at the same time, as Macau did, or award the licenses in stages, as Singapore did. Japan has largely followed Singapore’s lead in the implementation of IR regulations to this point.