New delays plague Japan’s casino bill

The move to legalize casino gambling in Japan took another hit on Monday as proponents have resigned themselves to a fresh round of delays, calling the division within the ruling coalition as another setback to passing what has become a controversial and polarizing bill.

Pro-casino lawmakers had said last week they would resubmit a previously failed bill by Tuesday, the end of the fiscal year. But they backed away from that plan on Monday as efforts continued to get the backing of the junior partner in Prime Minister Shinzo Abe‘s coalition.

Takeshi Iwaya, a senior member of the group from Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party, told Reuters that it’s crucial for all parties in the issue to be “on the same page” before proceeding with their next move. Any kind of dissension from within the ranks, small as it may be, can be considered a red flag, which is why the the group decided to hold off on submitting the bill until the group can convey a united front on the matter.

Iwaya didn’t specify when the group now plans to submit the bill, but a person involved in the process told Reuters that it could be just a matter of weeks – no later than early April – before the pro-casino movement re-submits the new casino bill.