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Hokkaido reportedly will not bid for an integrated resort in Japan's 2027 application window
Hokkaido Shimbun reports the prefecture has internally decided to skip the 2027 IR application period, saying it cannot meet the deadline. The prefecture is said to remain interested in an integrated resort, with 2030 floated as a possible later round.
Hokkaido prefecture will reportedly not apply for a casino-based integrated resort in the next application window set by the Japanese government. That window runs from 6 May to 5 November 2027. The information comes from the Hokkaido Shimbun, which cited an internal decision within the prefectural government but did not name its sources.
According to the newspaper, officials concluded that Hokkaido could not meet the deadline for submitting an IR District Development Plan. The report said the decision took into account public opinion and the prefecture's own processes. It follows the release on 15 October of a revised version of the prefecture's Basic stance on IR of Hokkaido document.
The reported decision does not mean Hokkaido has abandoned its interest. The newspaper said the prefecture would keep working on the initiative because it expects economic benefits to spread across the region. However, no specific timetable has been set for its IR procedures, and the interest is not tied to a commitment to enter any particular round.
The paper estimated that developing a basic concept for an integrated resort could take about one year from now. The subsequent statutory procedures could take a further 1.5 years. Those steps include establishing an implementation policy, running a request-for-proposal process to select a developer, and preparing the IR District Development Plan. These periods are estimates of the work involved rather than an announced schedule, and Hokkaido has not set dates for completing the stages.
The Hokkaido Shimbun suggested that missing the 2027 window could push an application towards 2030, which it identified as a possible time for a third national application round. That is neither a confirmed national timetable nor a commitment by Hokkaido to apply.
Japan's current framework allows three integrated resort licences, and only one has been awarded so far, to MGM Osaka, which is scheduled to open in late 2030. Hokkaido was also discussed as a possible location before the first application window, but decided in late 2019 not to put itself forward. The latest report concerns the separate 2027 window, with the prefecture again reportedly staying out of a round while continuing its IR work.
Based on reporting by igamingtoday.