Japan Updates Proposed Gaming Regulations Under IR Development Act

Summary

• Japan Casino Regulatory Commission makes changes to gaming regulations
• Four specific areas have been updated and made public
• Still no clear indication as to when licenses will be issued

Japan’s push to get legalized casino gambling up and running continues to be a very slow process. Japan legalized casino gambling back in 2018 and promised to issue three integrated resort (IR) casino licenses.

When Japan legalized casino gambling, there was massive interest from gaming operators around the world.

However the interest has waned from most of the big names in the casino industry as Japan has been rather slow with launching its casino gaming market.

Japan is yet to issue an IR gaming license because it is also yet to finalise which three prefectures will play host to a multi-billion dollar IR. There are many reasons why Japan is struggling to move forward with licensed casino gaming. One of the main reasons is due to the on-going debate on gambling regulations.

Japan wants to take great care to ensure that they roll out robust gaming regulations that will protect Japanese players from gambling harm and at the same time allow the government to benefit from casino gambling. The Japan Casino Regulatory Commission (JCRC) was established to put together an IR Development Act.

The JCRC released a draft set of gaming regulations in April 2021 outlining a total of 9 games that licensed casinos can offer along with 21 variants. This proposal was later finalized in May after going through a public consultation process. The JCRC has announced another major update to these gaming regulations via its website.

Four Sections Receive Major Update

The JCRC has made significant changes to four major areas of the IR Development Act. The four areas that have been amended include the Main Laws Concerning Casino Regulations, Concept/Approach to Casino Regulations, Summary of Casino Regulations and Measures against Adverse Effects, and Overview of Casino Regulations.

The JCRC also released a statement informing the public that this process of finalizing gambling regulations is taking a lot of time because they want to be very detailed with their analysis and ensure that they have robust regulations in place to run their licensed IR gaming industry.

The ultimate goal is to have an international casino gaming market that boosts tourism numbers and brings in steady revenue to the government.