Casinos Austria is now officially the casino partner of Nagasaki as the prefecture looks to be one of the first three locations in Japan to host an integrated resort (IR). That selection was revealed earlier this week, and the casino operator is now ready to dig in and help the prefecture’s dream become a reality. It has now revealed what the IR might look like, and gamblers are definitely going to enjoy a plethora of options once – and if – the resort becomes a reality.
Casinos Austria Has Big Dreams for Nagasaki
Earlier this week, Nagasaki chose Casinos Austria, which barely beat out Mohegan Gaming and Entertainment to be the prefecture’s casino partner. With the selection process now complete, Casinos Austria is fine-tuning its plans for the future IR and revealed in a press release that the casino is expected to cover around 96,875 square feet. In that space, gamblers will find 220 gaming tables and 2,200 slot machines “offering a gaming experience of the highest international standards.”
Casinos Austria operates 25 casinos in several countries, but the number of gaming options it plans to offer will be greater than anything it has ever attempted. According to its website, it now only offers a total of 230 gaming tables and 3,200 slots across its entire portfolio of properties. The gaming complement at the new IR could be accompanied by eight hotels, conference and exhibition facilities and a variety of dining and retail options. At least one of the hotels is expected to involve Hyatt Hotels Corp. The entire IR is expected to span 74 acres in Sasebo City, next to the Huis Ten Bosch amusement park.
A New Era in Operational Responsibility
This is going to be a huge task for Casinos Austria, but it’s up to the challenge. The company’s CEO, Bettina Glatz-Kremsner, said in the press release, “By passing this milestone in the award process in Japan, Casinos Austria International has once again demonstrated the kind of excellent reputation that the company enjoys abroad. After years of restructuring, [Casinos Austria] is back on track. Its know-how and expertise in the development and operation of such complex projects continue to be impressive. I wish Casinos Austria International, under Christoph Zurucker-Burda’s management, all the best and that they will be awarded one of the three licences next year, together with Nagasaki Prefecture.”
The latter statements allude to the fact that it still isn’t a guarantee that Nagasaki will be chosen as an IR host, although its odds are very good. Three licenses will initially be awarded by Japan – with others possibly being awarded in the future – and Nagasaki sits high on the list of possible candidates. Others, such as Osaka and Yokohama, are having difficulty convincing area residents that a casino resort is a good idea, and that resistance will certainly be taken into consideration when Japan’s national IR body makes its final decision. If Nagasaki is chosen, the IR could be brought to life in 2027, but a 2028 launch is more realistic.