Japan won't move on casino gaming

TOKYO -- All the speculation on legalizing casino gambling in time for the 2020 Olympics has amounted to nothing this session, according to Forbes.

Ever since Japan's successful bid for the 2020 games was announced it was largely expected that the country would move to introduce casinos and maximize revenue, the report said.

A political stalemate on the issue and a focus on domestic policies appear to have scuppered movement on introducing legislation, Forbes reported.

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Casino: Japanese lawmakers table expansion legislation

Casino legislation in Japan appears dead. Union Gaming Group Managing Partner Grant Govertsen said the Japanese legislative body decided not to hold a special session this fall, meaning gaming expansion is off the table for 2015. Japan lawmakers and the country's prime minister have considered legalizing at least two full-scale resorts in Tokyo and Osaka, with the tax proceeds being used to fund infrastructure expansions needed for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

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AGA would help Japan on casinos

NEW YORK AND JAPAN --The American Gaming Association would help Japan with information if the country legalizes casinos, the Japan Times reported.

The president of the AGA made his comments to the Japanese media on Thursday in relation to a long rumoured move that Japan will legalize casino gambling.

Geoff Freeman also strategically noted that US gaming operators could be suitable partners in Japanese casinos due to the wealth of their experience, the Japan Times report said.

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PokerStars signs first sponsored Team Pros from India and Japan

PokerStars.com today announced the signing of the site’s first Team Pros from India and Japan, highlighting the ongoing growth of poker around the world.

Aditya Agarwal is the first Indian Team Pro, having shown demonstrable success in PokerStars’ biggest online tournaments, while Kosei Ichinose is the first Japanese Team Pro, having previously become Japan’s first Supernova Elite player.

Kirsty Thompson, PokerStars’ Head of Pro & Celebrity Management, said: “The signing of these Team Pros from India and Japan is an important step in helping promote the game in countries where poker is only just coming to the fore. Both players are highly respected within the poker sphere, and their success and passion for the game will no doubt spread throughout their local and national communities.”

ADITYA AGARWAL
The Indian poker player grew up in India but moved to the US to study Engineering and Marketing. While in university he caught the poker bug after watching it on TV, and by the time he graduated he was already a full-time pro.

Agarwal has enjoyed poker success in all formats, including a deep run in the World Series of Poker Main Event in 2008, finishing in the top 100 for $51,466, and a cash finish at EPT Barcelona in 2007 for $34,313. He has also won several tournaments and made final tables in events across India.

KOSEI ICHINOSE
Kosei began playing poker in 2006 while studying in Canada and the English and Business student never looked back, with successful results in PokerStars SCOOP, WCOOP and Sunday Major events, and first-place finishes in APPT, Macau Millions and Red Dragon live events in Asia. He now competes in the toughest MTTs, Omaha and Mixed Games online at PokerStars.

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Japan: Prime Minister backs casino legislation

Japan's Prime Minister is backing changing the law to permit gambling and legalizing casinos, the Japan Times reported.

The move comes ahead of Japan hosting the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and is intended to capitalize on tourism, the report said.

Shinzo Abe indicated his hope would be to see a law passed during the next legislative session, according to the Japan Times report.

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Japan casino interested in Boyd Gaming

LAS VEGAS - Add Boyd Gaming Corporation to the race to operate a casino in Japan.

CEO Keith Smith used a fourth-quarter conference call Wednesday to express Boyd Gaming’s interest in the potential Japanese casino market. The country is exploring casino legalization as a way to pay for infrastructure associated with being host of the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo.

“We’re always looking for ways to grow the business,” Smith said, adding that he and a development executive recently traveled to Tokyo to initially view the market.

“We’re investigating ... to see if it’s a good fit for us,” Smith said. “It’s very early in the process and the opportunity is in the exploratory phase.”

Smith said it was too early “to worry about how to finance” a Japanese casino.

The comments surprised some analysts on the conference call.

Smith said Boyd missed out on other international opportunities in the past, including Macau, because it was a small company.

“We’re much larger today than we were in early the early 2000s,” Smith said.

Japan, which has shied from legalizing gaming in the past, is considered to be an untapped lucrative market by many in the investment community. The potential has attracted interest from MGM Resorts International, Las Vegas Sands Corp., Caesars Entertainment Corporation and the Malaysia-based Genting Group.

Recently, Las Vegas Sands Chairman Sheldon Adelson said he would spend $10 billion “or whatever it takes” to win a Japanese casino license.

Boyd Gaming said Wednesday it reduced its fourth-quarter net loss while growing revenue 9.1 percent.

The Las Vegas-based regional casino operator said its net loss for the quarter that ended Dec. 31 was $47.3 million or 43 cents per share. In the same quarter a year ago, Boyd recorded a net loss of $899.9 million, or $10.24 per share, which included a nearly $1 billion noncash impairment charge on the former Echelon site, which was sold to Genting Group.

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Las Vegas Sands ready to move on Japan casino plan

LAS VEGAS - Las Vegas Sands Corp. are ready to move on establishing plans and investment to build a casino in Japan, Bloomberg reported.

Bloomberg quoted Sheldon Adelson as saying the company will invest $10 billion, but have not ruled out working with a local partner.

Japan currently does not allow casinos, but laws are likely to be changed in view of the impending 2020 Olympics, Bloomberg reported.

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