The Osaka government hopes that an integrated resort (IR) operator could help with expenses for the 2025 World Expo, which the city is bidding to host and which is projected to cost over $1 billion.

Inside Asian Gaming said that the city was willing to shoulder a third of the amount, first reported by the Asahi Shimbun as totaling ¥124.7 billion ($1.1 billion). ¥54.7 billion ($480.1 million) of this would be for construction of facilities, while ¥29.3 billion ($257.2 million) would go to infrastructure improvements.

The Osaka government said it was looking for a private entity to cover another third of the costs, and for the prospective IR operator to pay for the remaining third.

No licenses have actually been issued yet by the Japanese government. This is expected sometime in late 2019 at the earliest, in line with the IR Implementation Law passed last July. However, Osaka, along with Tokyo and Yokohama, are viewed as the most likely sites for construction of the casino resorts.