Japanese Magazine Accuses Caesars Of Bribery

Caesars Entertainment has been accused by Japans largest news magazine of effectively bribing politicians in the country. The weekly Shukan Bunshun magazine has said that Caesars has bought tickets to attend politicians social gatherings through their advisor Jun Okawa.

In Japan it is illegal for any overseas individual or company to donate to a countries politicians campaign, however there is no restrictions on purchasing tickets to a politicians political social gathering and this is what the magazine is claiming is tantamount to bribery something Caesars argues is legal and an accepted practice they have done for years.

Looking at the amounts involved this story by the Shukan Bunshun magazine seems to be very much over the top, with most amounts adding up to only a few hundred dollars in value and maybe the only one spending more is on the biggest support of casino resorts in Japan, that being Takeshi Iwaya who the magazine claim has received as much as $6,600 by the Caesars advisor in ticket purchases but that has been over several years!

The magazine did also say that other foreign casino operators could be doing the same thing, but with resorts in Japan estimated to be worth $25 billion a year in revenues it is hard to believe any politician would take a few hundred dollars to be persuaded to support casino resorts in any way.

Caesars Jan Jones Blackhurst, the executive vice-president of public policy and corporate responsibility said of the Shukan Bunshun article: “The recent Bunshun article, as it relates to Caesars Entertainment, focuses on the long-standing and legal practice in Japan of buying tickets to political fundraising events. We believe that the purchases of such tickets by our consultant over many years were made in accordance with the laws of Japan and other jurisdictions, as well as in accordance with our own robust compliance policies and procedures.”