Three new potential partners emerge for Nagasaki IR

The Request for Proposal proceedings in the city will get underway tomorrow, 7 January 2021.

Japan.- Three new last minute contenders have emerged for the Request for Proposal process in Negasaki, which gets underway tomorrow.

The Japanese city will initiate the process to develop its bid for one of the three integrated resort (IR) licences the central government will issue in 2022.

Until now, there were four known contenders for the RFP process: Oshidori International Holdings, Casinos Austria, Pixel Companyz along Groupe Partouche, and a consortium of Get Nice Holdings and Current Corp.

But in December 2020 the local authorities said they were in communications with casino operators that did not take part in its original RFP process, with a view to increasing the number of contenders.

Now the Nagasaki Shimbun informed there will be three additional potential partners participating in the process.

The names of the companies were not revealed, but media reports indicated they consist of an Asian holding and two US-based firms with ongoing operations in Asia.

The proceedings will begin on 7 January 7, 2021, according to IAG, and bids can be placed from October of the current year until April 2022.