Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment (MGE) (PRNewsfoto/Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment)

Mohegan Gaming Joins Forces with Oshidori International Development for Nagasaki IR Bid

Article by : Helen Feb 3, 2021

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Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment seems to be determined to win the race for one of three integrated resort licenses Japan is planning to grant in 2022. To make sure it’s got what it takes to be an eligible candidate, the casino operator partnered up with a Japanese development company, Oshidori International Development, for the Nagasaki bid.

“We are proud to partner with MGE on this landmark development opportunity,” said Alejandro (Alex) Yemenidjian, President and CEO of Oshidori. “Through our joint bid, we aim to highlight the rich culture and diversity of the Nagasaki area, and look forward to the positive impact this project will have on the entire Kyushu region.”

We are honored to work with Oshidori International and leverage their team’s unparalleled experience on this IR license bid in one of the fastest-growing markets in the world.

He continued, “Japan offers important development opportunities that will benefit the Kyushu economy. Our growth strategy took into consideration the significant cross-marketing opportunity between Project Inspire in Korea and Kyushu, Japan. As operators of ten properties globally, including one of the largest integrated resorts in the western hemisphere, we are eager to bring our expertise to this venture.”

So far, the Nagasaki prefecture received five group applications for its request for proposals, according to its integrated resort promotion division. However, Japanese officials still keep us in the dark about what companies have submitted their proposals. The only participants in the Nagasaki bid brought to the spotlight are Casinos Austria, Pixel Companyz with Groupe Partouche, and Get Nice Holdings with Current Corp.

The integrated resort will be built in Sasebo City, a city with an estimated population of just around 250 thousand people. It is a small town compared to the likes of Tokyo (8.6 million people) and Osaka (2.7 million people). However, this is exactly the type of locale where lawmakers would like to see an integrated resort built. In their minds, integrated resorts are meant to revitalize the economy of areas with less dense populations and increase the number of tourists visiting them.

Before turning their attention to Nagasaki, Mohegan Gaming once considered Hokkaido as its potential integrated resort location. It didn’t work out, though, as the Hokkaido governor called it quits and dropped out of the race for an IR in 2019. For now, Osaka and the Osaka prefecture, as well as Wakayama, have joined Nagasaki in publishing detailed plans for integrated resorts and the request-for-proposal process.

According to Japan Times, Osaka hasn’t been as lucky as Nagasaki in attracting bidders. MGM Resorts Japan was initially at the top of the list of potential integrated resort operators, but COVID-19 left the company struggling to keep its bottom line in the black. So, there is “uncertainty” over whether Osaka will manage to find a partner for the nationwide competition.

Wakayama has received two bidding proposals so far: one from Suncity Group Holdings Japan Co. and the other one from Clairvest Neem Ventures. An integrated resort in Japan is not Mohegan Gaming’s only project in Asia. It is already developing a $5-billion Inspire resort next to the Incheon airport in South Korea. The project is scheduled to be completed in 2022, and it will be the first destination resort with its own private air terminal.