Gaming Ho favors Osaka over Tokyo for casino

Lawrence Ho, the billionaire owner of Melco Resorts & Entertainment Ltd., said he favors building a casino in Osaka rather than Tokyo because there are more opportunities to develop the smaller Japanese city as an entertainment destination.

Ho is among the industry heavyweights seeking entry to Japan after lawmakers voted in December to open the country to casino gambling. The government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, which made casino liberalization a priority, hasn’t decided where those casinos will be built nor which companies will operate them.

The prize could be the world’s most lucrative casino market, which CLSA Ltd. estimates could generate USD25 billion annually. While Melco is considering the viability of Tokyo and nearby Yokohama, the company’s top choice is Osaka and the surrounding Kansai region, home to attractions such as Universal Studios Japan and the city of Kyoto, famed for its Buddhist temples.

“When you go to the Kansai region, it’s more fun, really, and we’re a company that focuses on fun and entertainment,” said the 40-year-old Ho, who also serves as chief executive officer, in an interview at Melco’s City of Dreams resort in Macau.

Melco is competing for Japanese licenses with rivals that include Las Vegas Sands Corp. and MGM Resorts International, both of which are focusing on Tokyo and Yokohama in addition to Osaka. To be selected, operators and municipalities will have to team up and submit a proposal to the government, according to guidelines published this month.

“MGM’s business model is to build large-scale destination resorts with lots of stuff that cost a lot of money,” Ed Bowers, executive vice president of global development for MGM Resorts, said this month. “So it needs to be in a high-density population area.”

The Tokyo metropolitan area, home to about a third of Japan’s people, is the country’s political and financial center and the base of headquarters for the country’s biggest companies, including Sony Corp., SoftBank Group Corp. and Hitachi Ltd. The city will also host the 2020 Summer Olympics.

That popularity is what makes Tokyo less than optimal for hosting the type of integrated casino resort popular in Las Vegas and Macau, Ho said. Those facilities typically include hotels, entertainment options, shopping and convention centers.

“I’m not so sure Tokyo needs an integrated resort,” said Ho, whose net worth is about $2 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. “Tokyo by itself is amazing. It’s like when people ask me: ‘Do you think New York and London need an integrated resort?’ No, they don’t.”

About an eight-hour drive from Tokyo, Osaka is a prime shopping destination and a favorite for tourists from China. Although both cities are front-runners to be selected by the government as casino locations, Tokyo’s higher costs may be a deterrent.

“Tokyo’s inflated commercial land prices are higher than the rest of Japan,” Bloomberg Intelligence analysts Margaret Huang and Carmen Lee wrote in a May 26 report. “That may dissuade casino operators from developing an integrated resort there, even with the city’s population and infrastructure.”

CLSA’s $25 billion revenue estimate is based on the country having two urban integrated resorts and 10 regional casinos. By comparison, gaming revenue in Macau last year was $28 billion, while Las Vegas generated $6.4 billion.

To read a QuickTake on Japan’s casino plans, click here.

Melco, with $4.5 billion in revenue in 2016, is the fourth-largest casino operator in Macau. As business from Chinese high rollers plunged in the territory after peaking in 2013, Melco expanded internationally.

It opened the City of Dreams Manila resort in the Philippines in 2015 and has invested in gaming ventures in Cyprus and Russia. Ho also plans to launch a global hotel brand, starting with a $1 billion high-rise in Macau set to open next year.

Its U.S.-traded shares closed at a 52-week high May 16, and the stock’s 38 percent gain this year has outperformed a Bloomberg index tracking Macau gaming operators.

Gaming companies interested in Japan still are waiting for lawmakers to vote on proposals establishing rules on taxation and regulation, and addressing ways to combat gambling addiction.

Until then, Melco is busy courting potential partners, Ho said. That can lead to some awkward encounters as the foreigners target some of the same Japanese companies.

“Right now, there is a lot of speed dating,” Ho said. “Sometimes, I go into a Japanese corporate’s office, and then I walk out and I see our competitors in the lobby.” Bruce Einhorn, Daniela Wei, Bloomberg

Research: 14,000 gambling addicts in Macau

According to a study by the University of Macau (UM) and commissioned by the Social Welfare Bureau (IAS), at least 14,000 people in the region suffer from a gambling addiction. The 2016 figures are a huge contrast to the official figures from the authorities, which reported a total of 900 cases. Wu I Mui, the head of the Department of Prevention and Treatment of Problem Gambling and Drug Dependence told TDM that “there are many reported cases of recidivism [during treatment process] … many of the people suffering from gambling addiction do not seek for professional help.” In 2011, the IAS opened a channel for those seeking help with their  gambling addictions, but successful treatment depends on an individual’s willingness to come forward.