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Casinos Austria Int. Wins Nagasaki Integrated Resort Bid
By Jeff Osienya Aug 12, 2021 IndustryNagasaki’s prefecture finally picks a winner for the city’s Integrated Resort race. Casinos Austria International bested two other competitors, and it has released its vision of constructing a complex spanning across 74 acres.Japan’s Nagasaki City prefecture announced on Tuesday that it has selected Casinos Austria International as the casino operator partner for the region’s Integrated Resort (IR) near Huis Ten Bosch – a Dutch-themed amusement park, in Sasebo City. In an official briefing, the Nagasaki prefecture disclosed that Casinos Austria emerged as the top scorer under the Nagasaki RFP scoring system with 697.0 to win the IR race.
Further, Nagasaki’s prefecture also revealed that Oshidori International Development scored 682.8 points to come in at second place in the IR race. NIKI Chyau (Parkview) Group – a joint venture between Taiwanese construction business Chyau Fwu Group and Japanese commercial real estate developer, The Niki Group, with 667.1 points, took the third position. The prefecture also indicated that initially, Oshidori had been ahead of the two other competitors before Casinos Austria edged it out to complete the IR race at the top.
All the three Integrated Resort contestants had presented their final proposals in Nagasaki City last Wednesday, outlining their plans and vision for the development and operation of a state-of-the-art IR near the Huis Ten Bosch amusement park in Nagasaki’s Sasebo City. After announcing that Casinos Austria was picked to be the priority IR partner, the prefecture in Nagasaki added that the selection process was conducted fairly and with integrity.
According to a report by Inside Asian Gaming, Governor Hodo Nakamura of Nagasaki was quoted sharing a few words about Casino Austria’s selection. He said:
Quote“We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all entities who participated in our RFP at a time when the world had faced [the COVID-19] pandemic and for their unique proposals that make use of their own experience and expertise. We also thank the members of the evaluation committee, each with their own perspective based on their area of expertise, who have taken the time to strictly evaluate the proposals. Going forward, our next course of action is to come to a master agreement with the priority negotiation rights holder. The prefecture will continue its efforts toward receiving national approval for developing an integrated resort in Nagasaki.”
Casinos Austria Going Big in Nagasaki with its IR Vision
With the Nagasaki IR selection process behind us, Casinos Austria went ahead and revealed its plans for the city’s Integrated Resort in a press briefing. The operator expects the gaming, entertainment, and hospitality complex to cover 96,875 square feet (9,000 square meters). Part of the property will contain a gambling space with 2,200 slot machines and 220 gaming tables to offer patrons a “gaming experience of the highest international standards.”
Further, alongside the massive casino, the Integrated Resort complex is planned to have 8 hotels, with at least one of them run by Hyatt Hotels Corp. Exhibition facilities and a range of deluxe dining and retail selections will also be thrown into the mix of the IR set-up, projected to cover about 74 acres (30 hectares).
After Casinos Austria was chosen as the priority Nagasaki IR operator, Bettina Glatz-Kremsner, the company Chief Executive Officer shared a few words saying:
Quote“By passing this milestone in the award process in Japan, Casinos Austria International has once again demonstrated the kind of excellent reputation that the company enjoys abroad. After years of restructuring, Casinos Austria International is back on track. Its know-how and expertise in the development and operation of such complex projects continue to be impressive. I wish Casinos Austria International, under Christoph Zurucker-Burda’s management, all the best and that they will be awarded one of the three licences next year, together with Nagasaki Prefecture.”
Based on the information published on Casino Austria’s website, the operator currently runs 25 casinos spanning across different countries. In all these properties, its entire portfolio consists of 3,200 slot machines and 230 gaming tables. As such, the Nagasaki IR project is its ambitious undertaking yet, and from the look of things, Casinos Austria International is up to the task.
Oshidori Had Pulled Out of the Race A Few Days Before the IR Announcement
Initially, the Nagasaki IR race started with five companies, but the contestants were reduced to three front-runners who presented their final proposals last week. However, before the Nagasaki prefecture announced its IR flagbearer, Oshidori dramatically withdrew from the race, making inexplicit allegations.
Oshidori International Development which had teamed up with US-based operator Mohegan Sun surprised the Nagasaki officials by publicly pulling out of the IR race on Friday, August 6th. Oshidori press statement published on its website read:
Quote“Oshidori International Development announced today that, unless there are certain changes to the developmental and operational rules imposed by the Nagasaki Prefecture, and unless the RFP process is conducted in an ethical manner, it is withdrawing from participating in the RFP for an IR in Nagasaki, Japan. The restrictive and unreasonable rules imposed by the Nagasaki Prefecture make it impossible for Oshidori to conduct business in a prudent and efficient manner.”
The withdrawal briefing came just four days before the Nagasaki prefecture announced the winners of the IR bid. In its statement of rescinding from the IR competition, the Japanese corporation also alleged that:
Quote“In addition, Oshidori has encountered several incidents that make it question whether there have been serious ethical irregularities in the RFP process, and it is only interested in participating in a process that has the highest integrity, and that is professional, transparent, and based on merit. Oshidori expresses its gratitude to the local community and to all the people involved for their support and cooperation towards Oshidori’s participation in Nagasaki’s IR process.”
Even with the public rescindment statement, reports from Inside Asian Gaming indicate that the Nagasaki prefecture didn’t recognize Oshidori’s withdrawal as it wasn’t done formally. So, it’s no wonder why when the prefecture announced the winner of the IR bid, Oshidori was still mentioned as part of the contestants.
Meanwhile, Wakayama already picked Clairvest Neem Ventures as its IR torchbearer, whereas the likes of Yokohama and Osaka are still grappling with uncertainty in their selection processes.
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