Nagasaki prefecture announced Friday the three IR operator candidates to have progressed past the latest screening in its recruitment process, with Casinos Austria, NIKI & Chyau Fwu (Park View) Group and Oshidori Consortium all making the cut.
Inside Asian Gaming has since contacted all three, with the remaining candidates expressing their desire to up the ante in pursuit of a Nagasaki IR license.
Akio Hayashi, President and CEO of Casinos Austria International Japan, told IAG, “We will continue to do our best. We will be competing with two rivals and we hope to distinguish ourselves as the most convincing partner for not only Nagasaki Prefecture and Sasebo City but also Japan. I hope we can contribute to regional revitalization.”
Casinos Austria currently operates 26 casinos in 12 countries – most located in Europe but also further afield in Egypt and as far away as Cairns in north-east Australia.
The NIKI & Chyau Fwu Group is a consortium comprising THE NIKI in Japan and the Chyau Fwu (Park View) Group in Taiwan, and was the last of the five to apply for the IR race in Nagasaki. A NIKI representative said, “We are very pleased. We will need to prepare a lot of material for the second phase of screening and we are planning to work with over 40 partner companies.”
Asked about rumors that a major Asian casino operator has also been lined up to run the casino should it win Nagasaki’s IR race, the representative said, “We can’t talk about it yet but we are getting ready to make an announcement.”
Oshidori International Development, whose parent company is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, recently partnered with US tribal casino operator Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment for its bid. In February, the consortium signed an official partner contract with V-Varen Nagasaki, a J-League professional soccer club based in Nagasaki.
Oshidori’s Japan team is being led by Alex Yemenidjian, a former Director of MGM Resorts International. Sometimes described as a right-hand man of the late Las Vegas legend and former MGM owner Kirk Kerkorian, Yemenidjian served MGM in numerous roles including President, COO and CFO.
Hodo Nakamura, Governor of Nagasaki Prefecture, said, “I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all the operators who have expressed interest in a Nagasaki IR. Going forward, we will continue to listen to feedback from residents and focus on realizing a Kyushu/Nagasaki IR, contributing to the revitalization of tourism and the local economy of the prefecture and Japan.”
Nagasaki’s next screening will see more specific background checks and integrity surveys with the final successful bidder announced in August.
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