Oshidori to withdraw from Nagasaki IR bid
Oshidori International, Mohegan Gaming’s partner for the Nagasaki integrated resort (IR) bid, plans to pull out of the race due to the prefecture's supposedly unreasonable demands.
“The restrictions imposed by Nagasaki Prefecture are unreasonable, and at present it is not possible to conduct business in a rational and effective manner,” said the company in a statement.
“Oshidori has encountered several incidents that make it question whether there have been serious ethical irregularities in the RFP process and it is only interested in participating in a process that has the highest integrity, and that is professional, transparent and based on merit.”
However, the Nagasaki Government stated it hasn’t received any official notice of withdrawal and plans to carry out the selection process as scheduled.
Last week, the companies aiming for the IR licence had to submit their final presentations to the authorities, after which the prefecture will select a partner and submit a bid to the National Government by spring 2022.
After starting with seven interested parties, Nagasaki’s RFP process currently has only three possible partners: Oshidori, Niki Chyau Fwu (Parkview) Group and Casinos Austria International Japan.
This, however, is still the highest number of bids per prefecture, as many companies have dropped out of Japan’s IR bids due to difficulties caused by the pandemic, and the questionable nature of early regulations related to the IRs.
Yokohama is another prefecture that was viewed as a possible contender for one of the three IR licences, but the biggest hurdle for the prefecture might be the upcoming mayoral election, where six out of eight candidates oppose the idea of a casino in the city.
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