Japan has again asked the operator of the MGM Osaka integrated resort to refine its demand forecasts and to start planning how future casino earnings will be invested in non-gaming operations.
The requests are part of the government’s assessment of how the approved Osaka IR development plan was carried out in fiscal 2025, published by the Japan Tourism Agency on October 9th. The review found that detailed designs for the resort’s facilities had been completed and construction had started, which it said deserved a degree of recognition, Travel Voice reported.
On demand, the assessment said work so far had been limited to confirming that the assumptions behind the estimates had not changed. It asked for the assumptions to be set with attention to specific target groups such as business travelers, not only overall demand, and to be updated promptly when social conditions change the market outlook.
Casino earnings and visitor mix
The review called for steady investment of future casino earnings into the resort’s non-gaming businesses, taking its financial position into account, and asked the operator to begin identifying specific uses for that money.
It also asked for more concrete promotion and customer-acquisition measures to raise international visitation and deliver the numbers projected in the plan, and urged the resort to attract a broad customer base without leaning too heavily on visitors of any particular nationality.
The agency noted the operator’s intention to build attractions with a distinctly Japanese character, but said this content should be reviewed as the needs of overseas visitors evolve.
The assessment also checked measures on ground subsidence, soil liquefaction and soil contamination at the Yumeshima island site, as well as preparations to address gambling addiction.
MGM Osaka, which is jointly owned by MGM Resorts International and Orix, is scheduled to open in 2030. Orix has described the project as a long-term, stable cash-flow asset, while operators in neighboring markets such as South Korea have sought regulatory relief ahead of its arrival.
