Operator News
Japan – Osaka confirms 2020 timeline to name chosen casino operator
By Phil - 25 April 2019
The Osaka government has now launched its tender to open a casino resort on Yumenoshima, an artificial island in Osaka Bay, laying out a timeline of Spring 2020 for when it will name its selected casino operator.
Governor of Osaka Prefecture Hirofumi Yoshimura said he wants the resort to open before the World Expo is held on Yumenoshima in 2025. The closing dates for Requests for Concepts is May 24 with an August deadline for all the necessary paperwork to be filed. The operator will have to pay $180m towards the cost of extending the Osaka Metro Chuo Line to Yumeshima. Operators including Las Vegas Sands, MGM Resorts International and Melco Resorts & Entertainment have all expressed their interest in a Yumeshima casino.
Ichiro Matsui, Mayor of Osaka, said: “We want to build a city that can compete not just with Tokyo, but also Shanghai and Singapore.”
Caption: Melco’s plans for Yumeshima island
