Inside Asian Gaming

IAG JAPAN MAR 2020 82 While Japanese financial services firm Orix Corp has teamed up with MGM Resorts International in Osaka, Sega Sammy is the only Japanese company to step up as lead IR operator, and with a major metropolitan location as its target. これまで日本企業ではオリックスが米IR大手MGMリゾーツ・インターナショナルと提 携して大阪IRの参入を目指しているが、オペレーターとしてセガサミーは初めて。 I t was just a few days before the 1st IR Expo in Yokohama on 29 and 30 January 2020 that Sega Sammy released the first genuine insights into its proposed IR development in Yokohama, including an artist’s impression and details of an alliance with UK architecture and design firm Foster + Partners. Coming long after the likes of Las Vegas Sands, Melco Resorts & Development and Wynn Resorts began pushing the key features that would set their individual IRs apart, the fact that a Japanese candidate was making its presence felt inevitably attracted some extra interest. While Japanese financial services firm Orix Corp has teamed up with MGM Resorts International in Osaka, Sega Sammy is the only Japanese company to step up as lead IR operator, and with a major metropolitan location as its target. Sega Sammy President and Group COO Haruki Satomi wasted no time in highlighting his origins when addressing a jam-packed conference room at the expo, describing in detail the social and economic issues currently facing the city of Yokohama: the four -hour average tourist stay, 85% day-tripper rate and stagnating population. “People come for a concert in the Yokohama arena, have a meal in Chinatown, stop by the Minatomirai malls, and go home,” he explained. Despite being the second most populous city in Japan with around 3.74 million residents, Yokohama’s population has already shown signs of decline due to an extremely low birthrate and aging population. The city predicts a financial deficit of JPY 66 billion (US$611 million) by 2027, and with decreased tax revenue, an IR is seen as a unique opportunity to address these negative trends. JAPAN