Akihabara News (Tokyo) — Three would-be casino consortiums remain in the contest to become Nagasaki Prefecture’s partner to potentially build an Integrated Resort (IR) at the Huis Ten Bosch theme park in Sasebo, and some of them are trying to sweeten the pot in the run-up to the final selection.
The current schedule calls for the prefecture to choose its consortium partner next month, and three remain in the race.
Casinos Austria International, a government-backed company based in Vienna, has remained very quiet in public about the nature of its Nagasaki bid, in contrast to its competitors.
Niki Chyau Fwu (Parkview) Group is a Taiwan-Japan consortium which was a latecomer to the IR race in Japan, but has become one of the most active in recent months. When they announced their bid in January, they stated, “We will propose to build a Super Smart Community that makes full use of cutting edge technology, centered on an IR in Sasebo city, and spreading to Omura Bay.”
Oshidori International Development, which has also been quite active, is based on a Hong Kong-listed investment company. It has partnered with Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment, a Native American tribal casino firm based in Connecticut, which is also building a major IR in Incheon, South Korea.
In the latest round of sweeteners announced this week, both the Niki Chyau Fwu consortium and the Oshidori consortium have made additional moves.
Niki Chyau Fwu’s move was by far the bigger of the two. It announced that it had reached an agreement with ESR, a Hong Kong-listed company, providing that—should its bid be selected and the Huis Ten Bosch IR licensed by the central government—it would, in addition to its planned US$3.5 billion investment to build the casino resort, also bring in an external investment of US$1 billion to build a data and logistics center to Nagasaki Prefecture. This data center initiative alone would be expected to create about 8,000 new jobs for the community.
Stuart Gibson, co-founder and co-CEO of ESR, commented, “The Niki Chyau Fwu (Parkview) Group’s IR concept and its consortium team are truly amazing. This development will create recreation, hospitality, and cultural facilities in Nagasaki, making it a center of global tourism. It will become a destination tourism site. This is a perfect match for our business, and if they are licensed and proceed with the development, we promise that there will be, in the 21st century, an advanced recreation area, including the data center, near the IR development area.”
The Oshidori consortium has been focusing more of its attention on building positive community relations.
The Kyushu Oshidori Children’s Foundation was established in 2019 and owns approximately 18.8% of the share capital of Oshidori International Holdings. Last July, the Foundation donated ¥20 million (US$180,000) to Akai Hane (Nagasaki Community Chest Association & Social Welfare Corporation) to support flood relief efforts. This year it donated ¥10 million (US$90,000) to seven child welfare institutions in Nagasaki as part of a Children’s Day initiative.
Moreover, in February, Oshidori formed an official partnership agreement with V-Varen Nagasaki, a Japanese J2 League football club.
In its latest move announced this week, Oshidori, in partnership with the Nagasaki Bus Tourism Development Promotion Fund, invited seventeen local students on a tour to discover the rich history of Nagasaki.
Oshidori International Development Chief Operating Officer Keigo Nakatani stated, “We are pleased to provide children who will lead the future of Nagasaki with some time to learn more about the area in which they live. I am convinced that this opportunity to develop a feeling of familiarity and attachment to their hometown and to talk about the future of Nagasaki with friends will surely lead to a better future for both the children and Nagasaki.”
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