If casinos are legalised in Japan, MGM Resorts will be ready with MGM Osaka.

Osaka

MGM plans an integrated resort that is “uniquely Japanese instead of a copy from Las Vegas or Singapore,” MGM said at a recent investment conference. MGM would welcome leading local companies to be a part of the resort, a strategy it has deployed in Macau.

The government in Osaka is planning to designate land in Osaka Bay for proposed casinos. If Japan legalises casinos, it is expected that Tokyo and Osaka would get major integrated resorts intended to be global destinations, while a number of regional casinos would be authorised.

Osaka is Japan’s second largest metropolitan area after Tokyo with nearly 19 million people. The city government has openly encouraged casino operators to consider it while Tokyo Governor Yoichi Masuzoe has been cool to casinos, leading many to speculate that a Tokyo area casino would be developed in neighbouring Yokohama.

While MGM has long been interested in Osaka, other prospective developers, such as Las Vegas Sands and Wynn, are considered more likely candidates for a Tokyo licence.

Source: Fantini’s Gaming Report