MGM Denies Profiting from LeoVegas ‘Illegal’ Japan Gambling Ops

MGM Resorts has hit back against an accusation that it may have profited from illegal online gambling in Japan via its acquisition of LeoVegas.

A computer rendering of MGM Resorts’ planned $8.1 billion integrated resort in Osaka Bay, which a local anti-gambling group says should be halted.
In April, MGM won the first Japanese casino license, in partnership with the city of Osaka, and will build an $8.1 billion integrated resort in Yumeshima, an artificial island in Osaka Bay.

But a local anti-casino group “Society for Considering Gambling Addiction Problems” (SCGA) is demanding that the US operator’s license is revoked and the development project suspended.

That’s because MGM has “likely” benefitted from “the criminal proceeds illegally obtained by LeoVegas” in Japan, the group claimed. SCGA accused LeoVegas of being an illegal online casino that formerly targeted Japanese players.

 

[mosesdera]

Well this is a real sticky situation MGM has found themselves in with their Japan plans. On the one hand, expanding business to new markets makes good business sense to keep revenue streams flowing. But local communities have every right to sound warnings if there's risks of laws being broken or citizens coming to harm.