There has been a lot of talk by the Japanese government about making gambling legal and opening some new casinos around the country in hopes of giving their economy a boost. At the moment, gambling is illegal, apart from a few exceptions. The betting system is complex and the regulations are tight. The few exceptions there are, such as horse racing and motor sports (including motorboat, bicycle, car and motorcycle racing) are all controlled by the Japanese government and the Japan racing Association. There are rules such as that foreign horses aren’t allowed in their horse racing and so on. This gives a brief idea of the impact that casino’s will have on Tokyo if they are opened.

The current governor of Tokyo (Ishihara) has been trying to push casinos on Japan since 2000. There was a lot of public interest surrounding this idea, which looks good for the industry if the bill is passed. If people show such an interest now, they will be more then excited to get started once it opens. There are worries that people will be more open to addiction as they have been so sheltered from it before (although it would bring in money from gambling addiction support). With talk of them building the casinos or adding them onto current hotels, there is room for an economy boost with investments in new infrastructures.

There are some people who are against the passing of the bill. They don’t believe that this is the way for them to solve Japan’s economic crisis. As they have had a lot of bids from foreign countries, the profits they make would mostly go to them, meaning Japan would hardly see what they have tried so hard to produce. There have also been some scandals in Japan recently since some sumo wrestlers were caught gambling on sports. Some people think that if there is that much drama going on from such a small scandal, what will happen once people get their hands on the casino.

If the bill is passed, Japan are hoping their economy will boom. With many casinos around the world and online, like Metro Play, being so successful, they are hoping to have a growth industry like theirs. They also see it as an investment opportunity for American companies. They are looking at a revenue of millions which would be a massive help to their country and also their tourist industry which is in need of a re-vamp.