It was confirmed last week that Casinos Austria International Japan, Oshidori International Holdings, and Niki Chau Fwu (Parkview) Group had been chosen to move forward in the prefectures Integrated Resort (IR) tender process – which is tentatively being planned at a 31-hectare resort site at Huis Ten Bosch (pictured).

The three private entities will now enter into a “competitive dialogue” with authorities, and once they have submitted documents for this second round will not be able to progress in any other such casino proposal processes in Japan.

Prefecture authorities have tentatively slated June as the cut off for these document filings, and since mandated that “any investing company that will hold a five percent or more share,” in a firm formally progressing in the IR proposal process, “cannot be an investing company for another concurrent bid in a different IR development and operation public tender in Japan”.

Alongside Nagasaki, IR proposals are being sought most prominently in Osaka, Wakayama and Yokohama. There are currently only three licences on the table, so all regional partnerships will need to be submitted to the national Government by spring 2022 for consideration.

The latest move by Nagasaki Prefecture officials will stop operators from hedging bets across the country, one would assume as a means to solidify their regional partnership.