Las Vegas gaming operators are wary of casino saturation in the Northeast.

HOW will the next frontier for gaming, Japan, respond to the effects of the coronavirus?

While the next key steps in the process of licensing companies to build integrated resorts in Japan are still months away, it’s possible the rapidly spreading COVID-19 disease could affect the current timeline.

The prefecture of Osaka issued a request for proposals in December — MGM Resorts International appears to have the inside track on that project. But other areas are considering issuing RFPs, and a number of gaming companies across the globe are anxious to see what Japan’s local and federal governments decide.

Though the timeline is lengthy — the first integrated resort isn’t due to open until 2026 — the rapid spread of the virus has changed the course of the travel and tourism industries in the past month.

Who would have thought Las Vegas would see thousands of potential visitors stay away as a result of canceled conferences and meetings? So far, four gatherings scheduled for Las Vegas have opted to retreat. Some of the larger international shows are expecting attendance to be affected by the coronavirus because many people from different corners of the world are either afraid of coming or can’t come.

Will attitudes change on integrated resorts when the Japanese see the struggles convention destinations are encountering as a result of the coronavirus, and might the resort licensing process be delayed?

I asked that of Brendan Bussmann, a partner and director of government affairs for Las Vegas-based Global Market Advisors, who has been studying the potential arrival of casinos in Japan from the beginning. He thinks a delay is possible, but with plenty of lead time, chances are good everything will be resolved before the next steps in the process.

“No one knows what’s going to happen with the coronavirus today,” Bussmann said. “If you and I were to sit down a month and a half ago when this started breaking at the beginning of Chinese New Year and becoming a real story, would you have ever imagined they would have shut down the casinos in Macao for two weeks? We don’t know, and

VELOTTA