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LONDON-As Japan moves forward with plans to open facilities that allow gambling, Las Vegas Sands Corp. says it is now focusing on Tokyo and Yokohama neighborhoods to find potential locations for casino resorts.

Sands said in a statement Thursday that he was no longer interested in Osaka, long seen as a strong candidate to host the country’s first casino resort.

Under a law passed last year, no more than three seats will be allowed.

The announcement by the us casino operator came hours after Yokohama officially announced it would accept proposals for a complex resort to be built on Yamashita pier. Hong Kong-based Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd also issued a statement Thursday saying it was pleased with the progress in the Japanese market.

The back-to-back ads mark the latest steps in a delicate dance between cities seeking to host casino resorts and operators wanting to bet locally. CLSA, a Hong Kong-based capital markets and investment group, predicts Japan’s gross gaming revenue could reach $20 billion a year.

Casino operators from around the world have descended on Japan in recent years, trying to win over the public as well as national and local politicians, after Japan passed laws to legalize casino gambling and laid out conditions allowing resorts to be built. The draw is the potential to have a foothold in what could become Asia’s second largest gaming market after Macau.

Moving away from Osaka, Sands leaves the field open to other integrated resort companies focused on the bustling city. Osaka has long been seen as the most likely location for Japan’s first casino resort, thanks to local political support and the large number of tourists attracted to the area.

Partners MGM Resorts International and Orix Corp. Osaka’s strategy has been announced, and their prospects are improving now that Sands is dropping out of contention for the city. Other operators such as Melco Resorts

MGM Resorts said in a statement Thursday it was “deeply committed” to Osaka. Wynn said separately that while There are numerous areas in Japan that are attractive, the demographics in the Tokyo Bay area, which includes Yokohama, “make this market particularly attractive.”

It will be years before the first resorts open in Japan because the rules around site selection are still being worked out.

Officials aim to have a casino built on Osaka’s Yumeshima island in time for the world’s fair to be held there in 2025. The island is somewhat more remote than the locations considered in Tokyo and Yokohama, Japan’s two largest cities, and will include extensive construction of hotels and other non-casino amenities.

Focusing on a potential site near Tokyo will help Sands maintain its profitability for investors, Chairman Sheldon Adelson said in a statement on Thursday. “We believe that investing in Tokyo or Yokohama gives us the best opportunity to do just that.”

Japan times LTD. All rights reserved.