The on-going saga surrounding Japan’s “will-it-or-won’t-it” stance on casino gambling has taken another turn after the Cabinet Secretariat of Japan has tapped the Innovation Group to conduct a comprehensive research study on the proposed legalization of casinos in the country.

The team will be led by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu with the eventual report expected to be used as an important touching point by Japanese legislators as it continues to deliberate and discuss the Integrated Resorts (IR) bill.

The study will be a comprehensive report that will involve a host of different topics and fact-finding items that are expected to be discussed by lawmakers once the bill returns to the table in the next Diet session. Chief among these issues include expert research and advice regarding the implementation of gaming regulations; information about integrated resort development protocol; best practices from similar and competing jurisdictions;  background on successful problem gaming programs; detailed approaches to address anti-money laundering; and a summary of economic and fiscal impacts from similar and competing jurisdictions, most notably Macau, South Korea, Singapore, and the Philippines.

The Innovation Group now has the responsibility to cover all of these important issues before presenting its report to the Japanese government. Innovation International Executive Vice President David Rittvo welcomed the challenge and the chance to work with Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, which he describes as being “in the forefront of providing research for both Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Japanese Diet.”

“The outcome of this research report will help to shape the proposed legislation that we hope will be passed this year,” Innovation Group President Michael Soll added.

Chairman Steven Rittvo also chimed in, saying that the government’s decision to commission this report is a positive sign that the Diet plans to discuss the bill more earnestly than it has before.

“The Japanese government has been considering the implementation of integrated casino resorts for a number of years, and much more intensely over the last year,” Rittvo said. “This present project, however, is a milestone since it is the last major effort sponsored by the cabinet.”