Possible sale of Nagasaki theme park adds to uncertainty around casino project

July 28, 2022 Japan Casino & Hotel Industry Updates

Reports that Nagasaki Prefecture’s Dutch theme park Huis Ten Bosch may be sold have created uncertainty about the fate of a planned casino resort at the site.

The theme park, which opened in 1992 in the port city of Sasebo and recreates the atmosphere of a traditional Dutch village, has a history of financial problems, with it going into bankruptcy in 2003 due to low attendance. Currently, the largest shareholder is the H.I.S. travel agency, which has a 67% stake in the park, with smaller shares owned by Kyushu Electric Power, Saibu Gas Holdings, Kyudenko and Kyushu Railway.

H.I.S. says it is negotiating with several entities. No timeline for a possible sale, nor the conditions under which the park might be sold, have been announced. With the details vague, there is now uncertainty around the plans for Huis Ten Bosch’s so-called integrated resort (IR), which is expected to open in the autumn of 2027.

Plans for the resort include a casino with 3,000 electronic gambling machines and 400 table games, as well as convention facilities with a total capacity of more than 6,000 people. Four hotels with more than 2,500 rooms in total are also planned.

Nagasaki officials predict the resort would draw 6.73 million people annually. Total construction costs are estimated at ¥438.3 billion ($3.2 billion), and the project is expected to generate ¥271.6 billion in the fiscal year starting April 2031. The operator for the Nagasaki project is Casinos Austria International Japan.

Nagasaki’s casino project is currently being reviewed by the central government. A final decision on whether to grant or reject a license to operate it could come later this year.