Construction of Japan's First Casino Resort Begins in Osaka: MGM Invests Billions

In Japan, the construction of the first integrated resort with a casino, MGM Osaka, has officially started. This event became possible six years after the legalization of such complexes in the country. The groundbreaking ceremony took place on the artificial island of Yumeshima, where a large-scale entertainment and hotel center is planned to open by 2030.

The project is being implemented in partnership between the American operator MGM Resorts International and the Japanese corporation Orix. The total investment is an impressive $8.8 billion, it will be not just a casino, but a full-fledged resort with three hotels with 2500 rooms, a theatre with 3500 seats, huge exhibition and conference halls, restaurants and shopping areas.

Integrated resorts (IR) were legalized in Japan back in 2018, but due to political debate, the pandemic and public scepticism, the process has only now started. At the moment, the government has approved the construction of a maximum of three such complexes in the country, and MGM Osaka is the first of them to receive the green light.

This project can not only change the tourist map of Japan, but also become a serious step towards the legalization of gambling in a more familiar format for the West. In a country where for a long time even the mention of casinos caused a wave of criticism, such changes look like a challenge to traditions and at the same time a response to modern economic realities.