Osaka is eager to commence the construction of an integrated resort (IR) immediately. Osaka is among Japanese cities competing to have one of the three licenses for IR. The city wants the venue to be ready by the time it hosts the 2025 World Expo.
Osaka is considering to have the intergraded resort on the island of Yumeshima once it secures an IR license. Yumeshima is an artificial island located in Osaka Bay and will be crucial in the city’s preparation for World Expo.
Officials in Osaka are afraid the preparation plans for World Expo will overlap with the integrated resort construction and probably delay from opening before the 2025 event.
Casino.org reported that MGM resort is the leading gaming operator likely to receive the offer to build Osaka IR. Still, Galaxy Entertainment Group and Genting Singapore are also pursuing the same.
Tight Timeline
One of the operators who participated in Osaka’s request for the concept process said that for the city to have an integrated resort by 2024, construction must commence immediately. MGM had also realized that the 2025 timeline was over-ambitious. However, analysts believe that the 2025 opening is possible if the groundbreaking starts latest by 2021.
Osaka Mayor Ichiro Matsui recently said that his city isn’t giving up on having a full-fledged IR before the World Expo. He, however, acknowledge the various challenges for the 2024-25 goal.
Other Moves
Recently, the city of Osaka has been active not only in advocating for an IR to be ready by 2025 but also making plans for a new maritime terminal. The new port is expected to make the IR accessible during construction and afterward. City officials are also accelerating the transfer of land so that the construction of IR can start earlier than previously thought.
