Almost as quickly as Japan muttered the word ‘casino,’ Bloomberry Resorts was standing in line, hoping to get a license. The Philippines-based casino operator has been operating a permanent office in Tokyo since 2014 and has a particular interest in creating an integrated resort (IR) in Japan’s Wakayama Marina City.

Bloomberry is one of seven IR operators who recently met with the governor of Wakayama, Yoshinobu Nisaka, during the Japan Gaming Congress earlier this month. Representing Bloomberry was Takeshi Hojo, president of the firm’s Japanese arm, who left the meeting feeling positive about the fact that the governor is looking to make the licensing procedure a non-political issue, according to an Asia Gaming Brief report.

Governor Nisaka doesn’t want the casino to be a foreign-only destination, another plus for the casino operators. In an interview with AGB, Bloomberry Resorts CFO and Treasurer Estella Tuason-Occeña explained, “You know we operate a casino in Jeju, and we can tell you, if it’s a foreign-only casino, you can never get any of your money’s worth.”

Bloomberry’s chances at getting the IR license are good, but there it is still an uphill battle. The company doesn’t have the deep pockets that some its competitors do, but is working hard to obtain the license. Tuason-Occeña said, “Whether or not our effort will come to fruition, we still want to do it anyway.”