Japan: MGM Osaka profits to fund gambling addiction treatment

Japanese officials say they will use profits from the MGM Osaka, the nation’s first integrated casino-resort, to pay for betting addiction treatment programs. The pledge was made at a briefing session last week, when Osaka Prefecture officials joined their counterparts from Osaka City to address criticism from anti-gambling advocates.

Anti-gambling activists raised objections to the integrated resort, and officials used the session to answer those concerns. The integrated resort is set to open in 2030, and the announcement links MGM Osaka’s future revenues with funding for treatment programmes in Japan.