Mayor Of Osaka Calls For Extra Time For The Project
Ichiro Matsui, the mayor of Osaka, has given his say on the proposed casino resort plans in Osaka. In a statement last Friday, the mayor said that the casino resort would most likely open in 2026 rather than the initial date of 2025.
Authorities and those with close ties with the resort project hoped the project could be ready by 2025 to coincide with World Expo which the city would be hosting in the same year. However, the views of the mayor have been embraced by those in charge of the project. Many see 2026 as a more realistic date to open the casino resort on an artificial island in Osaka Bay.
Nevertheless, Mayor Matsui still wants to get work started immediately, and he estimates that the request-of-proposal (RFP) phase with potential private-sector partners before the end of the year.
Following the RFP this month, the mayor hopes the casino resort will open between spring 2025 and autumn 2026.
He also said, “At this moment, the central government has not made clear the selection data for up to three IRs. It is difficult to determine the exact data required.”
Osaka Integrated Resort
In Japan, an integrated resort is used to describe big scale casino projects with extra infrastructure such as restaurants, malls, entertainment facilities, hotel, and so on. The first phase of market liberalisation plan will see three integrated resort nationally.
Last month, Osaka authorities announced the names of three private-sector firms that have monitored the request-for-concept (RFC) process. They are; Genting Singapore Ltd, a unit of Malaysian-based Genting group, the Japan unit of Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd, and the consortium involving U.S.-based MGM Resorts International and Japanese financial services group Orix Corp
Should all things go according to plan, 2026 looks a feasible date to open the Osaka casino resort.
