Japanese lawmakers support casino legalization

A new survey reassured the notion that the majority of the House of Representatives support the legalisation of casino gambling.

A new survey carried away by Mainichi Shinbun revealed that a majority of lawmakers of the House of Representatives support the legalisation of casino gambling in Japan. A 57 percent of the total of elected lawmakers support casinos.

Mainichi Shinbun, one of the biggest news outlets in Japan, unveiled in its report that 261 of the elected lawmakers in the October 22 general election are in favor of the legalisation of casinos in Japan, which represents a 57 percent of the total of representatives. The report showed that there’s a difference of 109 representatives between those who support gambling and those who don’t.

Last week, it was reported that according to analysts from Global Market Advisors (GMA) another bill might get approved before the end of this year: the Responsible Gaming Bill. The piece of legislation is a key part to get the Integrated Resort Implementation Bill to be discussed as the debate will begin once this project gets passed. And as the bill’s passing depends on how long the extraordinary session is, experts from GMA said: “If it is extended through December as has been discussed by some experts, it may allow for debate to begin on some of the key aforementioned issues, including integrated resorts.”

Analysts assure that in case it doesn’t get passed this year, the bill is likely to be pushed until next spring. That scenario might also be likely since the legislature has a busy schedule and political tensions with North Korea are potential delay factors. On the IR Implementation Bill, GMA warned about concerns regarding the document and explained: “The law should offer the guiding principles and framework from which the regulatory board can implement and oversee the Integrated Resorts.”