Casino developer and operator Melco Resorts & Entertainment will be chasing after innovation and uniqueness, if it wins a casino license in Japan, CFO Geoffrey Davis said during a Wednesday presentation at the Japan Gaming Congress.
Organized by Clarion Events, the event is currently taking place in the island country’s capital, Tokyo.
Melco Resorts is one of several major casino operators to have set eyes on Japan, after the country’s government legalized casino gambling last December, with Las Vegas Sands, MGM Resorts International, Hard Rock International, and Genting Group being few of the other.
Mr. Davis said on Wednesday that just as any of the interested operators, Melco Resorts too finds it too early to state its clear vision on its Japanese casino resort, if it is allowed to build one. However, the financial executive pointed out that innovation will be their main goal.
The operator will aim to build a unique property and not just replicate what it had already built in other jurisdictions. At present, the company runs casino venues in Macau and the Philippines. In Mr. Davis’ words, their potential Japanese resort will be “something unique and spectacular”.
Melco Resorts CEO Lawrence Ho said during the CLSA Japan Forum, held earlier this year, that the operator was ready to invest as much as needed in a Japanese project. Other potential bidders for a Japanese casino license have revealed that they would invest up to $10 billion in a casino in the newly legalized market.
It became known earlier this week that Crown Resorts would sell its stake in Melco Resorts, recently rebranded from Melco Crown. The Melco Crown joint venture was the result from a partnership between the Australian casino operator and its Hong Kong-listed counterpart Melco International Development.
Despite Crown Resorts’ departure from the business, Melco Resorts will reportedly not go solo in its pursuit for a Japanese casino license. According to local media, the company has been discussing the matter with a potential Japanese partner.
It is believed that most of the international operators eying the young casino market would join forces with local partners to bid for a license jointly.
Even though interest in Japan’s market is clearly big, it does not seem that first casinos will be launched before the early 2020s. As previously reported, lawmakers are yet to craft a bill that would regulate the legalized casino industry and would provide information about where the casino resorts will be built. According to initial plans, Japan’s casino market will include up to two integrated resorts in metropolitan areas around the country.
