Reuters – Tokyo Governor Yoichi Masuzoe on Friday said developing a casino was not a priority for the city and urged more debate about potential problems like money laundering that could arise should casinos be legalised in Japan. The governor has said little about the issue and investors, lobbyists and global casino operators have been waiting for him to clarify his stance, as Japanese lawmakers prepare to consider a bill to open up the country to casino gambling. “This is not at the top of my agenda. I don’t believe that you must have casinos to improve the economy,” Masuzoe…

Las Vegas Review Journal – Officials with high-flying Las Vegas Sands Corp. raved about last year’s financial results and were giddy about potential expansion in Asia during an annual shareholder meeting Wednesday. Sands is on track to add thousands of hotel rooms by the end of next year after it completes a St. Regis Tower and a Paris-themed casino in the lucrative Chinese gambling enclave of Macau, according to CEO Sheldon Adelson. The company also has its eyes on Japan and South Korea. “They present the most promising and meaningful development opportunities in the world,” Adelson said of the Asian…

Reuters – Philippine leisure and gaming firm Bloomberry Resorts Corp is in talks with a potential Japanese partner for what could be the company’s maiden overseas venture, its chief executive officer said on Thursday. The talks are in preparation for bidding for a gaming license if and when a Japanese gambling law is passed, Enrique Razon, Bloomberry CEO and the Philippines’ fourth-richest man, said at a stockholders meeting. He did not name the Japanese firm. “We’re now working on Japan,” Razon said. “If the integrated resort law passes in Japan this year, we will contend for a license.” Japan is…

Reuters – South Korean casino operator Paradise Co has hired Jose Mourinho, the outspoken manager of English football giants Chelsea, as the face of its new advertising campaign to lure punters from China, where the sport is increasingly popular. Paradise is teaming up with Japan’s Sega Sammy Holdings Inc to build a $1.7 billion casino resort in the coastal city of Incheon, near the country’s main international airport, with construction to be completed in 2017. It faces steep competition from operators like Genting Singapore PLC and Caesars Entertainment Corp, which are moving to build their own tourist-focused resorts in South…

Reuters – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is set to tour Singapore’s two lavish casino resorts on Friday as his home country toys with the idea of liberalizing casino gambling to boost tourism and attract investment. Japan, home to 128 million people and the world’s third largest economy, is widely seen as a prize market for casino operators due to its affluent population and close proximity to wealthy Asian gamblers in the region. Brokerage CLSA estimates Japan could be the world’s third biggest gambling market after Macau and the United States, raking in revenues of at least $40 billion annually…

Daily Finance – Japanese gaming is getting everyone excited. With a summer vote pending to legalize casino building in the country, casino CEOs are already fighting over bids and locations. Neil Bluhm, the Chicago man who has built a real estate empire with casinos around the U.S. and Canada, is preparing to place his bid on the southern city of Osaka. Las Vegas Sands CEO and gaming entrepreneur Sheldon Adelson is putting his bet, a very large bet, on the capital city of Tokyo. Other companies, such as Wynn Resorts and Melco Crown are preparing their bets as well. So…