Japan's Casino Training School Closes due to Insufficient Student Interest
🃏 Theneq Tables Turn: Japan Casino Academy Faces Bankruptcy Amidst Casino Delay 🃏
The snappy Shuffle, the crafty Size, and the precise Cut—all skills taught at the Japan Casino Academy, a professional school for croupiers—will no longer be a hot commodity. The academy, which opened its doors in Japan in 2018, eager to equip students for the impending Las Vegas-style casino rush, will soon be history.
Students from the school could today preside over live casino games such as poker, blackjack, baccarat, and even man the roulette and craps tables. But like an old deck shuffled too many times, the Japan Casino Academy dealt itself a rotten hand. The academy filed for bankruptcy, a blow that Inside Asian Gaming announced last week.
The academy, born in the wake of the government's decision to legalize gambling and introduce three integrated resort projects, faced challenges. The projects were marred by opposition from locals, financial uncertainty, and a global pandemic that slowed most big development projects and disrupted supply lines.
As the Integrated Resort seems delayed, students' enthusiasm has waned. Meanwhile, international companies remain hesitant to step into Japan's Integrated Resort space. The government is planning to issue only three such licenses, with the first one coming by sometime this or next year.
Las Vegas Sands, Hard Rock International, MGM Resorts, and Caesars Entertainment all eyed the space, but some have balked as the outlook grew murky. Las Vegas Sands even dropped its bid and turned its focus to Texas, U.S.A.
The race for the first Integrated Resort isn't a walk in the park. Only two prefectures—Osaka and Nagasaki—are still jostling for the rights. But the struggle isn't confined to the government arena. Local opposition, unheard by politicians too afraid to engage for fear of losing, adds to the chaos.
MGM Resorts, eyeing Osaka, is pushing ahead with a $9 billion project, reduced from an original projected target of $12 billion. Nagasaki, on the other hand, partners with Casinos Austria to prepare a $3.2 billion project. Yet, these projects are mere blueprints. For the graduates of Japan Casino Academy, real venues where they can put their skills to use are urgently needed.
Students might find temporary refuge in existing tourism hubs or international operators preparing for Japan's Integrated Resort market. The MGM Osaka Integrated Resort project, Japan's first casino-based Integrated Resort, is currently in the early construction phase, scheduled to open in late 2030. The resort will offer a casino, hotels, a theater, and major convention spaces. Preparatory work and infrastructure roles are generating opportunities, but casino-specific positions are not yet available. Large-scale recruitment typically begins 12-24 months before opening, with the project aiming to attract millions of visitors each year. The resort will require thousands of trained staff, prioritizing those specializing in casino operations, multilingual customer service, and event management closer to the 2030 opening.
So, hang in there, dealers. The game may be on pause, but the house always wins in the long run. 😎🔮🃏
- The Japan Casino Academy, once a beacon for aspiring croupiers hoping to master games like roulette, blackjack, and poker, now faces imminent closure due to the casino delays.
- Despite the academy's impending bankruptcy, students could still find possibilities in the burgeoning casino-and-gambling sector, particularly if they prepare for opportunities in existing tourism hubs or international operators preparing for Japan's Integrated Resort market.
- Some of the international companies that initially expressed interest in Japan's casino scene, such as Las Vegas Sands, Hard Rock International, MGM Resorts, and Caesars Entertainment, have become hesitant due to mounting challenges like local opposition and financial uncertainty.
- Even though the Integrated Resort projects in Japan are delayed, the first one is projected to be issued by this or the next year, and students might find themselves in demand as the large-scale projects finally begin to recruit staff, prioritizing those specialized in casino operations, multilingual customer service, and event management.
- The eventual opening of integrated resorts, such as the MGM Osaka Integrated Resort with a scheduled late 2030 launch, will not only offer employment opportunities to the graduates of Japan Casino Academy but also attract education-and-self-development seekers from various prefectures, who might just find the perfect fit for their skills in the domain of casino-and-gambling.
