Operator News

Japan – Osaka puts Yumeshima island forward for casino

By Phil - 14 February 2017

Osaka has presented Yumeshima, a man-made island in Osaka Bay, as a potential home for an integrated casino resort.

Business leaders in the city are hoping that it could be operational in time to seal the city’s status as host for the World Exposition in 2025, for which Osaka is facing competition from Manchester and Paris. The winner will be decided in November 2018.

Osaka city presented the ¥824bn casino plan for the island last Tuesday detailing how a 70-hectare slice of the island would be transformed into an integrated casino with hotels, retail, leisure and convention facilities.

Osaka Mayor Hirofumi Yoshimura believes the new casino legislation will be approved by the end of this year and that an international casino operator will want to develop on Yumeshima.

He wants the selected operator to pay ¥70bn to build a city subway line out to Yumeshima.

“We have to place some of the cost for the subway on those on the island who will be making a profit,” he said.