Tokyo leader touts casinos as bonanza
By Mari Yamaguchi
Associated Press
TOKYO — It was a rare taste of Las Vegas in Tokyo. For two days, the casino crowds hosted by Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara pumped the slot machines and bet feverishly on the roulette wheel.
Associated Press
Although better known for his hawkish advocacy of building a more assertive Japan, Tokyo's often controversial leader has found a new cause célèbre: legalized casino-style gambling.
Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara, left, tried his hand at roulette during a two-day event he organized to bring a taste of Las Vegas to the city government's offices. Ishihara is a strong advocate of legalized casino-style gambling as a solution to the city's growing budget deficit.
And, on this one, he's got a lot of support.
Japan's capital is badly in need of money. Tokyo has lost money four years in a row and had an $80.65 million deficit in fiscal 2001. Tax revenue is expected to plunge this year.
In a recent report, the Tokyo government estimated that establishing casinos could generate $733.87 million in on-site revenues and $177.41 million in tax revenue and create 13,800 jobs.
"I think casinos can be very appropriate," Ishihara said. And more than a dozen mayors and governors from across the country have voiced their support for laws to expand the scope of legal gambling.
The central government is listening. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's tax panel has begun studying the feasibility of casinos, and about 40 lawmakers from Koizumi's ruling Liberal Democratic Party have set up a team to promote their legalization.
Japan is no stranger to gambling. The law prohibits gaming and betting, but public-run gambling enterprises are common. Gamblers can legally bet on the horses and on bicycle, boat and auto races and play the lottery.
A legal loophole allows "Pachinko" pinball prizes to be exchanged for money. The annual payout amounts to some $241.94 billion.
Tetsuro Murobushi, head of the pro-gaming Japan Casino Society, said casinos can generate $24.19 billion in tax income for the nation if managed successfully.
