Caesars Entertainment has made a subtle statement about its long-term Japan ambitions with the announcement of a sponsorship deal with the East Hokkaido Cranes hockey team.
The sponsorship, which has enabled the team to continue as a professional hockey outfit in the Asia League, sees Caesars join with more than 170 other companies to keep the professional league alive after the Cranes had disbanded due to issues with their previous sponsorship.
It also comes barely 48 hours after doubts were cast over Caesars’ international expansion plans following its US$17.3 billion merger with Eldorado Resorts, with Eldorado CEO Tom Reeg stating in an investor call that “the opportunity internationally will have to be stupendous for us to run in that direction.”
In announcing the sponsorship deal, Caesars said it is “committed to investing in the communities in which we operate. We contribute to the local economy via taxes, salaries to locally hired employees, purchases from local suppliers and sponsorships such as this.”
Managing Director of Caesars Entertainment Japan, William Shen, added that the company “has a long track record of developing and operating Integrated Resorts that grow and prosper hand-in-hand with our host communities.
“We admire the Cranes’ proactive contributions to the local community and we feel great empathy in this regard. I hope that our support of the Cranes will contribute to the promotion of sports entertainment and community vitalization across Hokkaido and indeed throughout Japan.”
