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Japan will be one step closer to setting up casinos if the National Diet passes a legislation to address gambling addiction typically associated with casino
The Japanese government has come out with a proposal to regulate the number of visits a person can make to casinos as a precaution against gambling addiction. The law proposes to restrain number of visits to three times a week and up to 10 times in 28 consecutive days for citizens as well as foreign residents in the country. A visitors can get access to casino on showing My Number Identity Card, patronised by the government. The smart card, which will digitally keep track of the visits, will reset a fresh 10 visits on the fist day of every month. The Bill put forward by the government needs the unanimous support of the ruling coalition consisting of Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition member Komeito. It will come up for debate in the National Diet, the Japanese parliament, by March end.
The law becomes necessary to appease majority of Japanese people who are concerned about ill-effects of casinos like gambling addictions and money laundering. Nearly two-thirds of the Japanese are against setting up casino in the country as suggested by a survey conducted by Jiji Press News agency. Another survey by media group NHK shows only 12 per cent Japanese support casinos while 44 per cent are against.
Despite the momentum in the enactment of casino legislation regarding tax and addictions, businessmen say it will take more than five more years for casinos to become a reality in Japan.
The proposed law is a step toward ending a 15-year ban on casinos, begun in December 2016 by passing the first of the two laws called Integrated Resorts Promotion Law. The law says casino can be set up only as part of integrated resorts with facilities of hotels, shopping, entertainment and conference hall. The maximum size of a casino should not extend beyond 3 per cent of the land area of the integrated resort subject to a maximum of 15,000 square meters floor space.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sees setting up casinos as a way to increase the number of tourists to 40 million by 2020. Economists predict that Japan has a potential to bring in a revenue of $25 billion from casinos.
Sydney's Star Casino complex is seen illuminated at night | Reuters
Though tourists have been exempted from many of the regulations, gambling investors see the restrictions as a retrograde step. Critics say that the permitted area of the casino is too small to run profitably and that only around 10 per cent people hold the My Number Identity Cards. No ATMs will be allowed inside the casino as cash transactions are prohibited. Credit card payment facility will be open only for tourists.
The proposed restrictions are in tune with Singapore's anti-gambling laws which have set limits for voluntary visits and family visits. Singapore's anti-gambling law restricts the number of monthly visits to five and for further relaxations, one needs to prove that they are not in dire straits.
