The Japanese government is holding the events to discuss the framework for the country’s nascent casino industry. The goal is to address public concerns about potential risks related to problem gambling and money laundering.
Measures to tackle gambling addiction and deal with other possible social problems arising from the introduction of casino gaming in Japan were top of the agenda at the second in a series of nine scheduled public hearings in the country. The second took place in the city of Osaka on Friday.
The Osaka session focused on control of problem gambling, the likely design of casino floors and the best location in that city to ensure a casino’s profitability, and this was how participants feel about the legislations that are bringing up the government to the industry. (READ SO: TOO STRICT REGULATIONS COULD SCARE OFF CASINO OPERATORS FROM JAPAN)
One participant at Friday’s session said the proposals made by the expert panel were insufficient to address a number of social concerns:
“The panel has proposed limiting the number of times Japanese people can enter the casinos on a given day or during any given week. But that could simply encourage people to spend longer periods of time in the casino. A limit should also be placed on how long people are allowed to stay in the casino on any given visit,” said the participant.
Another participant noted that by putting limits on the number of times Japanese nationals can enter casinos, could eventually lead people with gambling addiction problems to participate in illegal gambling.
“An organization needs to be established by specialists that can decide on a system for limiting… entry and work must be done to create a policy that helps people overcome their gambling problems,” the person reportedly said.
