Wynn said in a statement this Sunday that the coronavirus health crisis “is having an unprecedented negative impact on integrated resort development, and resort companies such as Wynn are considering how to evolve our operations to align with a post-pandemic market.”
The company also noted that, long term, it remains interested in Japan and will “monitor the situation closely” and that it will pursue expansion in that nascent market in future.
Wynn’s announcement comes shortly after reports emerged that the Japanese government has pushed back the publication of a national basic policy on integrated resorts to August or later. The need to add protocols for curbing the coronavirus spread in the framework is believed to have forced the delay.
The policy was previously expected to be published by late July. The delay is now likely to impact the government’s entire timeline for awarding up to three gaming licenses for the country’s first-ever integrated resorts with casinos.
According to previous plans, cities/prefectures interested to host casino resorts and their casino operator partners were expected to be able to apply for gaming licenses between January and July, 2021. The opening of the license application window could now be pushed back to a later date.
Source: GMB / Casino News Daily
