Inside Asian Gaming has reported the list of potential operators includes Pixel Companyz (collaborating with Groupe Partouche), Casinos Austria, a joint bid from Oshidori International Development and Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment, and a consortium of Get Nice Holdings and Current Corp.

Bidders will be invited for primary examination, with the deadline to submit documents set at 1 March. Up to three operators will be selected for the second examination.

Meanwhile, Osaka’s IR project is working on an idea of a Super City that should utilise artificial intelligence, and the prefecture is accepting suggestions and concepts until 26 February.

Two possible locations for the IR are Umekita 2 and Yumeshima. Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura said: “Both are green fields with no one living there currently, so it would be possible.”

Despite difficulties in Yokohama, the city’s budget for 2021 should include JPY360m ($3.4m) for its RFP processes, such as finding a private-sector partner for the IR and infrastructure around the IR site.

Some of the allocated budget would also be used for public promotions, as some of the community groups in the city lobbied against IR plans to varying degrees of success.

The first phase of Yokohama’s RFP process is set from February to May.

Five firms have confirmed their interest in the prefecture, including Galaxy Entertainment Group, Genting Singapore, Melco Resorts, Sega Sammy Holdings and Shotoku Corp.