Strictly speaking, complete shutdowns of movement were rare during the three years of Covid-19 disruptions, but cross-border movement – especially beyond mainland China-Macau – was complicated and often involved a quarantine stay in a hotel. Japan’s Osaka metropolis, which like Nagasaki had submitted its IR plan in April 2022, got a better result, being approved in April this year – with a 66 percent score on the government’s checklist – and with the completion date on MGM Osaka currently estimated as 2030.Ī key story this year was what analysts often referred to as the “reopening” of mainland China and Macau as pandemic-related travel restrictions were lifted. There was at least one bit of blight, after Japan’s Nagasaki prefecture received on December 27 the unwanted post-Christmas gift of being turned down on its application to host an integrated resort (IR) with casino, with the national authorities citing concern about its funding plan.
The year 2023 saw many green shoots in the Asia-Pacific licensed casino sector after the long winter of Covid-19 restrictions. Newsdesk Features, Latest News, Top of the deck 2023: Year of the great recovery for Asia casinos
