The validity of IR casinos as a public policy

Abstract

The justification for legalizing casinos in Japan was that they have a sufficient public interest to be exempt from the criminal law’s gambling ban, due to the large economic impacts of integrated resorts supported by high casino profits, such as the promotion of international tourism and increased employment and tax revenues. It was also argued that the benefits of the economic impacts would outweigh the social costs of gambling addiction, as the world’s best anti-gambling measures would be implemented to minimize the addiction rate.

This paper examines the validity of the “public interest” that has been the justification for legalizing IR casinos, analyzing the uniqueness of the IR casino business model and the social and economic damage caused by gambling addiction from the perspective of the so-called “Public Health Approach.” That is, the casino business model, which relies on gambling addicts for the majority of its profits, is inconsistent with anti-addiction measures, and the damage caused by gambling addiction extends not only to the addicts themselves, but also to their families, acquaintances, and society at large.