MGM Resorts and ORIX are headlining a corporate entity formed to pour in a multi-billion-dollar investment in Osaka as part of its bid to secure one of the three Japanese casino licenses. 

MGM Resorts committed to pushing through investment

As MGM looks to expand and capitalize in other markets outside the United States, the company has banded together with ORIX to form a well-financed investment group. According to reports, the entity plans to shell out $9.09 billion as it pushes to secure a license and build a real-money casino in Osaka by 2028.

The association bannered by MGM Resorts finds itself as the lone candidate applying for a license in Osaka after several pullouts by several gaming companies. Genting Singapore, Melco Resort and Entertainment, Galaxy Entertainment, Las Vegas Sands, and Wynn Resorts are the prominent companies that decided to withdraw their bids.

The investment group formally submitted a proposal on July 20, as it also pledges to spend $182m on extending Osaka’s subway to the casino’s location in Yumeshima.

MGM Resorts doesn’t need any introduction when it comes to the gaming industry. The gaming conglomerate has built a status as one of the industry’s leading operators, either land-based or online.

Quotes from the Press Release

Brian Sandoval, MGM’s president of global gaming development, addressed the news about his company’s bid to establish a casino in one of Japan’s busiest gaming hub: “

Osaka is an incredible city that is passionate about business, food, and having fun. MGM and our Japanese partners intend to deliver a Kansai-focused IR that will wow visitors from far and wide. 

“We expect that the IR will attract both international visitors, as well as people living in the Kansai region and Japanese tourists from other parts of Japan. Regional IRs in the United States, including MGM’s properties in Detroit and Maryland, receive millions upon millions of visitors every year.”

Sandoval added: “We want to provide guests with a new IR destination experience that is uniquely Japanese. Japan is advanced in technology innovation. It is also known as the best in class in terms of hospitality, rich in arts, culture and food. We respect the spirit of “Omotenashi” and Japanese vibrant traditions. We have already learned so much from Japan that we have been able to export to other markets in which we operate,”