Gambling is not, by any means, a globally accepted pastime. This is particularly true in Japan, where only in recent years have proponents of legal gambling made headway pushing the issue to legalize real-money gambling on land.
Promisingly, a new bill submitted by the deputy secretary-general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party takes a step in the direction these proponents want. Casinos have long been an issue in parliament and the new bill could eventually lift the prohibition in Japan. If the bill passes, the government will be required to take legislative steps within a year to open up the market for the gambling industry.
After Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reviewed the casinos in Singapore he said, “Integrated resorts will be a main feature of my growth strategy.” The growth strategy relates to the efforts to increase tourism to Japan in conjunction with the staging of the Tokyo Summer Olympics in 2020.
Recently Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga pointed out the benefits casinos could have for the economy, noting that the government will be setting up systems to keep corruption out of the industry. It is likely that should casinos come to Japan online operators will be positioned in the loop.
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