As the calendar turned into 2009, All Slots online casino proudly announced the official launch of the All Slots Japanese Casino on the .JP domain registry. On the face of it, this seems like your ordinary, run-of-the-mill big internet opening in another country promising “over 350 Microgaming-powered games and multiplayer slots and blackjack tournaments” together with “safe, secure methods available for players.”
To some extent this may be so, but All Slots’ grand opening on another virtual Strip reflects both those unique challenges and fruitful possibilities of doing business in Japan.
After all, the Far East is another world; All Slots and its ilk are faced with an entirely different culture, different player wanting different games (seriously, how many Americans or Europeans habitually play pachinko?), and even a different alphabet when attempting to provide the same services that the West takes for granted. Think of the difficulties in providing what is now-ubiquitous 24/7/365 live customer support; while some in North America may find an Indian voice on the line slightly disconcerting, at least the folks on the Subcontinent are native-speakers. Where do all the Japanese-speaking operators come from?
Nevertheless, casinos are ploughing forth into Japan anyway, and with good reason: After all, the island nation has shown far more progressiveness in online gaming regulation than many European Nation countries and are leagues ahead of the United States.
Nearly 50 gambling operators have opened casinos in Japan since mid-2006, among them international players like 777.com, translating the databanks into Japanese and matching cultural relativism on the website. (Think it’s a joke? Check out the AllSlotsCasino.jp homepage; see that advert for the design-your-own-slot My Slot? Note that sharpei-looking canine: In the UK and Europe, that’s a retriever.)
Today, Japan is considered potentially the second-largest market for online casino gaming in the world after the EU economic area. Hard estimates on income generated and growth potential are a bit sketchy given the varied rules and regulations worldwide, but estimates of USD 500 million annually are typically bandied about. And good examples of economies pumped up by the casino trades are readily nearby in Singapore and Macau. Indeed, in the push begun in 2006, Macau casinos were among the first and strongest to jump into Japan.
The sitting majority government in Japanis clearly aware of the (few) facts and (rampant, but not wild) speculation around such an industry. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party has ordered financial and economic studies into matters of possible taxation and registration requirements for such online casinos, and currently is involved in extensive talks with some international casino groups about opening things up in Japan for local ownership of such websites a la the recent law allowing such recently implemented in the Czech Republic.
In the meantime, All Slots and the rest will surely be entertaining folks across the ocean; any kinks in translation and appealing to the Asian customer should be well ironed out before full regulation is in place. With this headstart on the timid and/or slower-moving, such an online casino will become proverbially Big in Japan.
21 July, 2011