Oto Town in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, is preparing to bid for an Integrated Resort (IR) featuring a casino and has begun holding briefing sessions for local residents. The local government revealed that several IR operators have already visited the area for inspections, giving positive evaluations to Oto Town’s transportation advantages—such as its connectivity to Fukuoka and Kitakyushu airports and easy access to tourist regions like Oita and Kumamoto.
According to Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun, Oto Town has been holding resident briefings since mid-this month. It plans to hold a press conference to announce detailed plans for the IR bid once it gains public understanding. Current concepts include a casino, hotels, restaurants, and entertainment facilities. Oto Town estimates that the economic benefits generated by the project development could reach approximately 1 trillion yen (about 50 billion HKD), and it is expected to create around 7,000 jobs after opening.
Located in the Tagawa district of Fukuoka Prefecture, Oto Town is about a one-hour drive from Fukuoka City. The local economy was historically sustained by the coal mining industry. Following the closure of the mines, the area has long faced economic decline and population reduction.
Oto Town Mayor Joji Nagahara stated that Tagawa has continued to decline since the closure of the coal mines. Although many people have worked hard over the years to promote regional revitalization, population decline has not stopped. Therefore, he hopes to use the IR as a corporate investment project to “revive” the local economy.
Oto Town has not publicly disclosed the names of the IR operators that have conducted on-site inspections. However, the U.S. gaming and entertainment conglomerate Bally’s Corporation previously expressed a clear intention to enter the Fukuoka IR market. According to the website of the “Fukuoka IR Promotion Committee,” Bally’s submitted a letter of intent and a basic plan to the Mayor of Fukuoka, the Chairperson of the Fukuoka City Council, and related organizations such as the Kyushu Economic Federation in 2022. In March of that year, Bally’s also held a press conference in Fukuoka to officially express its intention to develop an IR with Fukuoka City as its candidate location.
The Fukuoka IR concept at that time projected a total investment of approximately 480 billion yen (about 24 billion HKD), attracting about 4.6 million visitors annually after opening, with an estimated annual revenue of about 249.5 billion yen (about 12.45 billion HKD) and pre-tax profits of about 57.1 billion yen (about 2.85 billion HKD). However, that concept targeted Fukuoka City as the candidate location—differing from Oto Town’s current IR plan—and there is no data confirming whether Bally’s has visited Oto Town for inspections.
Bally’s is a major U.S. gaming and entertainment enterprise that currently owns and operates 19 casinos across the United States, including Las Vegas, and one casino in the United Kingdom, totaling 20 worldwide. The group’s gaming facilities include approximately 17,700 slot machines and 630 table games, along with about 3,950 hotel rooms. The group is currently developing the large-scale Bally’s Chicago project. The permanent casino resort plan includes 500 hotel rooms, approximately 3,500 slot machines and table games, as well as a theater, dining, and other entertainment facilities, and is scheduled to open in Chicago, USA, in the spring of 2027.
