Sheldon Adelson visited Japan for casino update

" Mr Adelson was in Japan (Tokyo and Osaka) to get an update on the situation there and offer LVS’s support in any fashion that might be helpful to the process overall, especially given his well-documented leadership in the MICE industry,” said the email from Ron Reese, senior vice president, public relations for Las Vegas Sands.

He was referring latterly to meetings, incentives, conferences and events, a business segment that Las Vegas Sands has aggressively promoted at its existing Asian casino resort operations in Macau and Singapore.

The Japanese government has presented the introduction of casino resorts as a way of increasing the number of foreign tourists visiting the country and as a way of boosting economic growth in its regions. It has proposed a bidding process for any Japan casino licences, although the precise timetable and terms have not yet been announced.

Investor services firm Morningstar suggested in a July report that Las Vegas Sands was a leading contender for an initial Japan casino licence, along with MGM Resorts International.

Tokyo and Osaka were respectively the first and second locations for a series of nine public hearings arranged by the Japanese government and held in August. The goal of these public hearings, according to the government, was to address public concerns about potential risks related to casino gambling.

Last May, Adelson did something similar when he visited Brazil to know more about the process of gaming legalization in the country. Las Vegas Sands’ CEO met with the Brazilian president, Michel Temer, parliamentarians and also with the Tourism Minister. Adelson gave details of two projects: an entertainment megacenter in Sao Paulo with sports arena, shopping and casino; and an integrated resort in Rio de Janeiro.

Source: GMB / GGR Asia