The Government of Japan has officially confirmed that the new application phase for integrated resort (IR) licences will begin in May 2027.

New application stage

Cabinet announced that the second round of bids will start on 7 May 2027 and will run for six months until 5 November.

During this period, local authorities will be able to apply for two licences that were not allocated during the first phase of the tender process, which ended in 2023.

Law on Integrated Resorts

Back in 2018, Japan's parliament passed the Integrated Resorts Act, which authorised the construction of up to three large resort complexes with casinos.