Business Week – Japanese lawmakers began to flesh out a plan to legalize casinos, with an outline of proposed legislation allowing gambling resorts to be developed not only in big cities but also in regional areas.
The document includes a proposal that inspectors be appointed to monitor casinos for illegal activities, according to a copy obtained by Bloomberg News from a person who attended a panel meeting where the proposal was presented.
While betting on horse, boat and bicycle races is allowed in Asia’s second-largest economy, casinos are currently banned and a lawmakers’ group is planning to submit a separate bill to parliament as soon as this year to legalize them. Tokyo’s selection to host the 2020 Olympics boosts confidence the government will open up the market and international companies including Wynn Resorts Ltd. has plans to build resorts in the country.
“There are great hopes as regards casinos from the point of view of building up tourism,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters in Tokyo today. “At the same time the whole government must consider whether this is possible from the standpoint of crime prevention and maintaining order.”
