Macau and Singapore have already joined the trend of casino building; other countries in the Far East are also seeking to join this trend. An expert from Osaka University of Commerce believes that Japan maybe next. A series of studies conducted by Ichiro Tanioka, and Japan's Liberal Party said that legalized gambling may be in the direction for Japan.
Illegal gambling has existed in Japan for sometime now. They seem to have more machines there, than slot machines worldwide. Worldwide there are 2.4 million slot machines and 5 million in Japan alone. It is a favorite games to use, and gamble in Japan. When it becomes legal it will be even bigger.
There seems to be about 200,000 illegally run casinos bars, or "Shantis", in Japan today. These places produce more than $10 billion a year. Next to Japanese slots, horse bicycle, boat, and motorcycle racing are also popular wagering areas. Of course only the slots are illegal, and the others have been legalized. Race betting was legalized in the 1940’s and early 1950’s in Japan. A national lottery came to Japan in 1948 and sport betting was allowed in 1998.
The study showed that the Japanese pubic is understanding gambling more. Due to this Tanioka expected licenses to be given in 10 locations, once made legal. In 2000 and 2002, there were investigations into this new trend. In 2002, 49.1% agreed with casino play, 24.8% were neutral, and 26.2% were against its legalization.
To make it legal, the Japanese Liberal Party would have to persuade the opposition to change their minds. There just isn’t enough support today to change the status. When and if they would, lots of technical questions on finance, ownership, and location would arise, but it is still early yet. |
