Crown Ltd chairman James Packer has set his sights on Japan, saying he hopes the country will become the next growth target for his gaming empire, according to The Australian.
The recent electoral victory by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is believed to usher in casino legislation, as early as November, that would allow fully fledged resort-casinos.
“I hope Japan comes up,” Mr Packer told The Australian.
“If Japan comes on it will be the second-biggest gaming market in the world. It has 100 million people who are all mad gamblers but they are all doing it through horse racing and pachinko.
“Japan is looking at the Singapore story. Done wrong, gambling can be parasitic. But done right (through integrated resorts) it can be hugely additive.”
He added that Japan is likely to become a hotspot for gaming development in two or three years, which he said would allow time to first finish his developments in Macau and The Philippines, The Australian reported.
The news comes as Hong Kong billionaire Tony Fung said he was open to working with Mr Packer or other such casino owners in Australia, if his $4.2 billion development, Aquis, is approved in Cairns.
"I want to emphasise we are a resort with a casino, not a casino with a resort," Mr Fung told The Australian Financial Review.
"So we are not really in this to compete with other casino operators."