Japanese Casino and Card Room Gaming

Japan legalized casino gambling in December 2016 with the enactment of the Integrated Resort Promotion Law. Shortly after, it started work on creating a legislative framework for the industry, including a regulatory agency to oversee it.

In May 2017, Japanese government began work on the followup to the IR (integrated resort) promotion law, which will spell out specific regulations for gaming properties and an enforcement system.

The gambling regulation framework will include provisions limiting the number of visits to IRs by Japanese nationals, cash-only transactions for purchase of casino chips, a prohibition on anyone under 20 years of age, entry fees and the establishment of a casino control committee to oversee the gambling industry.

In July 2018, the Japanese parliament approved the final version casino legislation, allowing three integrated casinos resorts to be built. In October 2020, Japan decided to postpone accepting bids for the hosting of casino resorts to be newly constructed, citing the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The central government originally planned to accept formal applications over a seven-month period from January 2021.