The Japan Casino Regulatory Commission (CRC) has said it needs more government funding to carry out its regulatory work.
The commission was established through Japan's Integrated Resort Development Act, which was passed by the Diet in 2018 and signed into law by then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The CRC is tasked with governing the commercial gaming industry in Japan.Japan's casino bill authorized as many as three integrated resort (IR) developments.
The CRC told the central government this week that the industry was starting to take shape and with additional funding it could be better equipped.
The 2023 budget is requested to be 38.8 billion yen (2760 million US dollars).This is 10% higher than the current budget allocation, according to GGRAsia.
The casino commission said the budget increase was primarily due to planned staff increases. CRC hopes to add 20 employees to lift its total workforce to 177 positions.
Increased overhead
Japan's CRC was officially established in early 2020.This agency will be under the direct control of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and the Cabinet Office.
The responsibilities of the Casino Regulatory Commission are considerable.The agency will issue gaming concessions to applicants deemed suitable for operating casinos in Japan as defined in the 2018 IR bill.
The CRC then regulates domestic commercial casino licensees.The group says it routinely and “rigorously” reviews gaming operations at IR facilities.All aspects of the casino's operations will fall under the jurisdiction of the CRC.It also includes technical supervision of casino-related equipment.The IT infrastructure of each casino is also under the jurisdiction of the Casino Regulation Commission.
In addition, the Casino Authority will develop programs and initiatives to promote responsible gaming.Japan's IR Law permits the operation of a "sound casino business" "under the appropriate supervision and control of the government" and the maintenance of "order and safety" in the industry.
Multi-billion yen IR
Earlier this year, only two prefectures, Osaka and Nagasaki, participated in Japan's IR bid.
In Osaka, MGM Resorts and Japanese financial conglomerate Orix Corporation will partner to bring a $90 billion IR to the prefectural capital.The object is Yumeshima, an artificial island in Osaka.
MGM and Orix are 40/40 partners, with the remaining 20% owned by local investors.The plan includes three hotels, 3 guest rooms, 2,500 square feet of meeting and convention space, and a 40-seat theater. MGM has yet to elaborate on its plans for the casino floor.However, gaming space is limited by national law to 3,500% of the total indoor area of an IR.
In Nagasaki Prefecture, Casinos Austria's $32 billion IR bid was accepted by the prefecture.The goal was to build a casino resort in the Dutch theme park "Huis Ten Bosch" in Sasebo City.
The Casino Austria resort concept includes multiple hotels with over 2,000 rooms, approximately 215,000 square feet of meeting facilities and a 6,000-seat concert venue.The Nagasaki casino will have a minimum of 10 slot machines and 2,000 table games on an area of about 200 square meters.
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