With the enactment of the casino resort law on Friday, competition is already heating up among local governments to host casino resorts. However, measures to deal with gambling addiction are effectively being ignored.
The casino resort bill, which allows the operation of integrated resorts with casinos, was approved at a House of Councillors plenary session on Friday night, with support from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito, along with Nippon Ishin no Kai. The law paves the way for the nation's first privately operated casinos.
The government intends to make integrated resorts a pillar of its growth strategy after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. The country's first legal casino is expected to open as early as 2023.
However, concerns remain over gambling addiction. This is because anti-addiction measures that the government incorporated into the law were repeatedly revealed to have flaws during Diet deliberations.
The law stipulates that entry fees be collected from residents of Japan visiting casinos and that they be limited to up to three visits per week and 10 visits per month. Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister Keiichi Ishii, who is in charge of integrated resorts, emphasized the effectiveness of the measures, saying, "Using multilayered and multistaged approaches, we're taking every possible measure [against gambling addiction]."
Casinos are not subject to business hour restrictions, meaning they can operate around the clock. Visitors will effectively be allowed to spend time in casinos on six consecutive days in a week if each stay is spread across two days, because the law stipulates that a visit is counted just once as long as it lasts 24 hours or less.
A system has also been established to allow casino operators to lend money to visitors. In the case of residents of Japan, they are required to deposit a certain amount in order to borrow money. If the deposit amount is set low, many customers will be able to borrow cash. The system is not subject to the Money Lending Business Law, under which lenders, in principle, are forbidden from lending money equivalent to more than one-third of a borrower's annual income. There are therefore fears that visitors will become heavily indebted.
"I'm very worried about lifting the ban on casinos while gambling addiction measures are insufficient," said Noriko Tanaka, 53, president of the Society Concerned about Gambling Addiction, a public interest incorporated association.
Together with her 47-year-old husband, Tanaka has experienced gambling addiction at overseas casinos and speedboat races. She said she once thought about killing herself. After participating in a mutual self-help group, she managed to get her life back on track.
Tanaka called for generous support for self-help groups, saying, "Whether [the government] can map out effective measures depends on how it addresses the issue in the future."
Prior to the enactment of the law, a basic law on measures against gambling addiction was enacted during the current Diet session. The government will establish a headquarters, headed by the chief cabinet secretary, to deal with gambling addiction issues as early as autumn and begin compiling a basic plan to promote preventive measures. The plan is expected to focus on education and enlightenment at school, treatment for gambling addiction and consultation services as well as support for patients' return to society and finding jobs.
"Long-term care is important for patients to stop gambling," said Toshihiko Matsumoto, director of the National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry. "It is necessary to create an environment that will facilitate the activities of self-help groups. I have an impression that the younger they start to gamble, the higher the risk that they become addicted. Therefore, it's essential to offer education to prevent [gambling addiction]."
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