Caesars Japan Banks on Top Entertainment to Drive Business
Caesars Japan Banks on Top-Flight Entertainment to Drive Business. Headline entertainment, extravagant shows and first class nightclubs have always been a very important part of drawing visitors to Las Vegas and more importantly Las Vegas real money casinos. It appears that Caesars is preparing to go all in on this concept in its approach to any potential casino properties in Japan.
Jason Gastwirth is Caesar’s president of entertainment. He has hinted that the company plans on a heavy dose of big-named stars and Vegas-style entertainment to create excitement for a casino hotel and resort with potential Japanese customers. The same approach has worked in Las Vegas for the past several decades and Caesars remains confident it will work in Japan as one of its primary expansion markets.
How Does Caesars Japan Bank on Top-Flight Entertainment to Drive Business?
Selling integrated resorts complete with real money casino gambling has been a tough sell to the Japanese, who have been against the concept in the past by a margin of 2:1 according to public opinion polls conducted over the past several years.
That could all change if the coalition-controlled upper house in Japan has its way. Above all,this group is looking to open up a casino sector that could quickly become the second biggest in the world next to Macau. The deadline to make this dream a reality is July 22. That is when the Japanese upper house has to pass its Integrated Resorts Implementation Bill. This followed an extension of the measure that was secured by the ruling coalition to the current legislative session. It has already been passed in the lower house earlier in June despite some heated opposition from other parties.
Gastwirth recently spent some time in Japan to help garner support for the government’s plans. He believes that the key to making this whole entertainment plan work is to mirror the celebrity residency system that helped put Las Vegas on the map over the years. The goal is to have the Japanese public view these casino properties and more particularly Caesars Japan as a ”true destination resort.”
Caesars Rushes Into Japanese Casino Market
The image of “casinos” in Japan has not been that positive since it is often related to many of the social problems associated with the expansion of the pachinko market over several decades. Caesars will need to heavily push the non-gambling, family-oriented activities that can help change these negative images.
Part of his meetings in Japan involved initial discussions with local Japanese talent and celebrity agencies. This was confirmed in an interview with the Asian Gaming Review. In a direct quote from this report, he stated “Our pitch to the market has been that we are entertainment first. Entertainment is the leading driver of trips to Las Vegas.”
The business model at Caesars has always revolved around A-List entertainers such as Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez and Gwen Stefani. These entertainers would perform in 4,000 to 5,000-seat venues several times a week. The report mentions that Caesars got shutout of Macau when that market opened up in 2002. It is determined to avoid that costly mistake in Japan.
