Japanese national legislators are having negotiations on some ways that would help them limit the casino development in the country. Casino gambling was considered one of the fastest-growing industries in Japan after becoming legal there, but the authorities are now intentionally trying to slow it down.
The latest measures that have been proposed by the Japanese legislators, are associated with registering the visits of local residents to casinos in order to suspend them in the future, in case that the authorities decide to ban them if there is a risk of problem gambling and gambling addictions.
Each player would own a “My Number” identity card, which they would have to present every time they enter a casino on the territory of the country. The Japanese authorities have not decided what the number of the permitted entries would be, but casino operators in the country would have to inform the government about the customers’ visits. Also, a special governmental commission would be created as the Cabinet Office‘s external bureau.
The country’s Government has been aimed at creating a unite and integrated system for monitoring the number of times each player enters a casino. The special above-mentioned commission is to be engaged with managing the number of casino entries and will also respond to inquiries from private companies that operate casino facilities. Foreign customers will also be required to present the “My Number” card, as well as IDs, passports and other documents.
Experts have considered the Japanese market as a place of great interest for international casino operators. Some of the biggest casino operators on a global scale, including MGM Resorts, Las Vegas Sands and Wynn Resorts, have all demonstrated their interest for making future investments in the market.
According to market analysts, the gambling market of Japan would quickly become the largest one on a global scale, with its future value being estimated to approximately $40 billion. In comparison, less than $28 billion have been contributed by Macau in 2016. Despite the fact that Macau has been suffering from a decline for more than a couple of years now, it has never generated more than $45 billion even at its best.
However, problem gambling behaviour and gambling addictions have been a serious problem for society. That is one of the main reasons why legislation related to gambling legislation has been put on top of the local authorities’ agenda. The country has registered much higher rates of players suffering from gambling addictions in comparison to other countries. About 5% of the country’s population is dealing with problem gambling behaviour, while the percentage in other countries is only about 1%.
The Japanese Government’s plan to limit the number of times players can enter casinos is aimed at preventing gambling addictions to spread among more people across the country. The local authorities are also considering an eventual ban imposed on casino advertisements in areas outside integrated-resort zones.
- Author
Daniel Williams
