Bloomberg – Dutch-themed amusement park along Japan’s southwestern coast is considering buying a deserted offshore island in an expansion to boost its appeal as a possible site for a casino resort. “We are planning to buy new land to offer more games at the Huis Ten Bosch theme park,” Hideo Sawada, chairman of the Tokyo-based travel agency and park operator, said in an interview April 18. “There are a lot of deserted islands nearby.” He said at least 100 billion yen ($974 million) is needed to fund a gambling resort at the park. Huis Ten Bosch and sites across Japan…

THE ASAHI SHIMBUN – Moves are accelerating to bring casinos to Japan, but the economic benefits could be overshadowed by the social costs evident in other countries where gambling is legal. Shintaro Ishihara started the trend in 1999, when, as governor of Tokyo, he proposed establishing casinos in the fashionable Odaiba district of the capital. Hokkaido, the prefectures of Chiba, Osaka, Nagasaki and Okinawa, and the cities of Yokohama and Chiba have all earmarked budgets for casino-related studies this fiscal year, according to an Asahi Shimbun survey. A supra-partisan group of lawmakers in December submitted to the Diet a bill…

Reuters – The Japanese city of Osaka plans to invite operators to build a casino on a plot of reclaimed land on Osaka Bay, its governor told Reuters, pipping Tokyo in the race to attract global gaming firms to set up the country’s first gambling resort. Yumeshima, with about 170 hectares (420 acres) of land available for development, is likely to be designated as the preferred site for a casino when Osaka officials meet on April 22 to discuss the issue, Governor Ichiro Matsui said in an interview. Tokyo, the other city most likely to host a casino, has yet…

Today – Australian gambling tycoon and Melco Crown Entertainment co-chairman James Packer said it would cost a minimum of US$5 billion (S$6.2 billion) to develop a casino and resort complex in Japan should the government legalise casino gambling. One of Australia’s richest men, MR Packer is visiting Japan as the country’s parliament is preparing to debate legalising casino gambling, a move that could create a prize market with a wealthy population and proximity to China.“I think realistically that (US$5 billion) would be the lowest possible number. I think the numbers will only go up from there, not down,” Mr Packer…

Reuters – Pachinko hall operator Dynam Japan Holdings is in talks with several Asian casino operators to build a casino in Japan as the country readies to debate a bill that would legalise casino gambling. Yoji Sato, Dynam’s chairman and one of Japan’s wealthiest businessmen, said the company wants to announce its partnership with an Asian operator after the passage of an initial bill towards legalizing casino gambling. SOURCE

Well, you can add Boyd Gaming Corp. 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,”…