Operator News
Japan – Only Suncity and Clairvest lodge interest for casino in Wakayama
By Phil - 4 May 2020
Only two casino companies, Asian junket investor Suncity Group and Canada-based Clairvest, have lodged proposals for the request-for-proposal (RFP) process to develop a casino on an artificial island called Marina City in the Japanese prefecture of Wakayama, located east of Osaka.
Suncity has said it would spend between HK$30bn and HK$35bn (US$3.8bn to US$4.5bn) on an Integrated Resort in its Wakayama, in the Kansai region, on Honshū island’s Kii Peninsula.
Suncity CEO Alvin Chau said the vision was for a ‘unique project combining Wakayama Prefecture’s historical tradition, natural landscape and cultural essence.’
An announcement is expected in November from the prefectural government concerning who has won the preferred operator status if Wakayama is chosen as one of the three host cities for casinos.
The Office had previously said that over 20 international IR operators from North America, Europe and Asia had expressed their interest with an IR forum which attracted interest from operating groups including Solaire, Lucien Barriere, Mohegan Gaming, Bloomberry Resorts and Galaxy Entertainment. The government wants its IR to have a 2,500 room hotel with a convention centre and exhibition hall. Marina City is about a 40 minutes drive from Kansai International Airport and a 70 minute drive from Osaka. Its infrastructure is already well developed with many hotels and an amusement park based on medieval European townscapes.
Caption: Suncity’s proposal for Wakayama
