This week’s casino news begins with some information coming out of Japan. Originally, the news of gambling legalization excited a lot of people and businesses, but it has been slow going to come to fruition. We’ll start there as we do our weekly recap of the casino news:
Japan Casino Bill Moves Through Cabinet Committee
Japan has been trying to work out its laws regarding casinos, but it has not been easy. However, a bill called the Integrated Resorts Implementation Bill is moving along as it has cleared the Cabinet Committee, moving the country closer to regulation. The next step is to put the bill to a vote in front of the 465-seat house to ratify the legislation.
Japan actually decided to allow casino betting back in 2016, but there have been a few groups in the way of making this happen. Notably, prior to the vote for this bill, a group led by Daishiro Yamagiwa, the chair of a committee in the Diet’s Lower House, opposed it.
This bill formalizes how casinos will be run in Japan and it now has to face a vote in front of the full Lower House before it can be taken to the Upper House. There are a whole host of companies lining up to do business in Japan but they have to get the paperwork in order first. Once they fully clear casinos and then iron out the details as to where they can open and how they’ll operate, then we’ll see a flood of investment. Companies like Las Vegas Sands, MGM Resorts International and Wynn Resorts are all patiently waiting to see how the situation will play out.
Octavian Gaming Buys 50% Share Of WorldMatch Srl
Octavian Gaming Solutions, a developer of games for online casinos, has reportedly purchased a 50 percent share of WorldMatch Srl. Both companies hail from Italy. WorldMatch is one of the top designers in the industry with its own iGaming distribution channels. Meanwhile, Octavian has studios in Italy, Russia and the United Kingdom that WorldMatch can use. These two companies are basically putting their development teams together to expand their offering together. WorldMatch has over 200 HTML5 games in its portfolio and teaming up with Octavian will give them exposure to the wide market of Italian players that Octavian already has.
FSB Teams Up With FreakyVegas.com
Software developer FSB has teamed up with FreakyVegas.com to launch a gaming platform focused on targeting players in the United Kingdom. As a result of the partnership, FreakyVegas.com customers will now have access to over 500 games of both the video slot and table variety from the FSB library.
FSB, which operates out of London, has revealed that this is its first casino-only rollout. Previously, FSB, which is known as a sportsbook solution, had focused on supplying partners with sports betting platforms. Now it has shifted a little bit to cater to the needs of Freaky Vegas.
FreakyVegas.com was founded in 2016 and operates with a gaming license both from the U.K. Gambling Commission and the Malta Gaming Authority.