Chinese online sports lottery operator 500.com is wagering a total of $1.5 billion to bring an integrated resort to Hokkaido, Japan.

500.com is the latest gaming operator to express interest in Japan’s casino market as everyone awaits for the Japanese Parliament to pass the pending Integrated Resorts Implementation Bill (IR Bill).

Asia Gaming Brief reported that 500.com CEO Zhengming Pan and other investors were in Hokkaido to discuss the possibility of opening an integrated resort in Hokkaido’s Rusutsu village, as well as tour the nearby attractions in the area.

The company, which seeks to diversify is business amid the ongoing suspension of online lottery sales in China, has reportedly invested US$1.5 billion in a consortium it established with Japanese tourism company Kamori Kanko.