Three major casino operators interested in Nagasaki license

According to the Japanese newspaper Nagasaki Shimbun, at least three major foreign casino-resort operators have expressed interest in the Japanese Nagasaki license. It is reported that requests to the local prefecture will be possible from January 7, 2021. Casinos Austria, Oshidori International Holdings, Pixel Companyz and a consortium consisting of Current Corp and Get Nice Holdings have already registered on the list of applicants.

Two of the new candidates are believed to be U.S.-based companies and online slots not registered with gamstop, while the third is headquartered in Asia. All three are reportedly big names and have long been in the business of building entertainment casino resorts. In addition, these same operators have previously shown interest in other gambling projects throughout Japan.

It is worth noting that Nagasaki is one of four locations in Japan where a number of casinos are planned. The same list includes Yokohama, Wakayama and Osaka.

The island of Hokkaido was also previously involved in plans to develop Japan's gambling sector, sparking interest from Rush Street Interactive, Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment and Hard Rock International. But that prefecture eventually pulled out of the bidding at the end of 2019.

The Japanese government is expected to accept certification of areas for the construction of casino resorts from October 2021 to April 2022, and then offer it to a maximum of three interested locations. The impact of COVID-19 forced the suspension of this project for 9 months.