 |
| Above, the National Diet Building in Tokyo. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
Japan's Diet finally did it! The national legislature has passed a law that will allow casino gambling at resorts.
The resort gambling issue has been festering in Japan for the past several years.
Japan Today reported:
TOKYO - The Diet on Friday approved a contentious law allowing up to three casino resorts to open in this wealthy nation and possibly lure more foreign visitors.
The bill was approved and enacted into law at the upper house after bulldozing by the ruling bloc. The lower house passed it last month.
It adds rules of operation to a law on casino promotion passed in 2016. The enactment of the "integrated resorts" law means casinos can operate at resorts that include hotels, conference rooms and shopping malls in the mid-2020s.
Supporters say casinos can attract more and wealthier tourists. Opponents say Japan already has pachinko pinball parlors and wagering on horse, auto, bicycle and boat racing, and expanding legalized gambling would fuel organized crime and compound gambling addiction.
Media surveys have showed a majority of Japanese oppose the plan. Projections by experts show casino visitors would be predominantly Japanese, rather than foreign tourists. Opposition lawmakers said the casino law would only allow foreign operators to make money off Japanese.
To read more, go here.
No comments:
Post a Comment