Gambling-mad Japan could get badly burned by legalised casinos
With Japan about to legalise casinos, the government is seeking ways to tame an explosion of gambling that could be worth $40 billion a year. Tokyo aims to pass a bill on gambling resorts during the current Diet session, making it possible to open casinos in the next two years.
Under the draft bill, Japanese nationals and foreign residents will be limited to three casino visits per week and must pay and an entry fee of 2,000 yen (Bt600) each time. The revenue will go towards tackling gambling addiction.
Casinos offer the chance to win– and lose – huge amounts of money in the course of one night. Their games are acknowledged to be far more addictive than horse racing, pachinko and other gambling pastimes, making the dens a headache to regulate
The push to legalise casinos is backed by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party as a means to boost tourism and regional development.
Osaka and its prefecture are already planning casino resorts, but fears are growing that a Japanese public unused to the glamour, huge jackpots and risk of the gaming tables will gorge on the new gambling opportunities.
Harnessing gambling for sustainable tourism promotion requires surefooted efforts to balance it by promoting the special appeal of each region – its townscapes, food and traditional performing arts.
Under the draft bill, casino operators would be subject to background checks on their financial condition, legal records of their executives, and their personal and business relations. The stipulations are aimed, among other things, at preventing yakuza (crime syndicates) from running legalised gambling dens. The checks will be conducted by a casino supervision commission under the Cabinet Office, but their cost will be borne by prospective operators.
This complicated but necessary task has no precedent in Japan.
Would-be casino operators must be ordered to cough up a wide range of information, which must be carefully combed through by an army of researchers with highly specialised expertise. We doubt that such resources will be mobilised, meaning the screening for criminal elements will likely be ineffective.
There is also the dilemma that strict restrictions on customers and operators could undermine profitability in the gambling sector. The government recognises this potential hitch but has so far done nothing to resolve it.
Even more worrying is the toll on mental and financial health, given that the current number of Japanese gambling addicts is estimated at about 3.2 million nationwide.
Can gambling-mad Japan cope with legalised casinos? The answer is no – unless the government places more of its chips on tackling the addiction through publicity campaigns and medical treatment.
