IR operators begin to close offices and withdraw from Hokkaido

IR operators that have been hoping that Hokkaido would revive its IR bid appear to be concluding that it is time to throw in the towel.

The first of the three interested operators to shut down its operation in Tomakomai, Hokkaido, was Mohegan, which shuttered its local office at the end of February.

Now it is reported that Rush Street Japan is following suit, closing its Tomakomai office by the end of this month. It seems that Rush Street has not given up on Japan entirely, and will consider other options.

This leaves only Hard Rock Japan as the last Hokkaido holdout among the IR operators, though Canada’s Clairvest, which had hoped to be an investor in a potential Tomakomai IR, also maintains its local office.

Hokkaido Governor Naomichi Suzuki announced last November that his government would not be joining the IR race at this time, but pro-IR elements have maintained their lobbying efforts as well as their hopes that Suzuki would reverse his decision.

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