Richihuahua

What is Richihuahua?

According to the court’s statement, the judges rejected challenges from gaming hall operators and said the city’s public decision was legally sound. 

The ruling preserved a revenue measure the city says was designed to bring in up to €1 million according to the court’s own summary.

Andreas Braun, owner of four arcades in Wiesbaden, filed an objection and constitutional complaint against the tax rate in April last year according to local reporting. He argued that the tax rise had provided a ‘strangling’ effect to business and that it consumed operator profits.

How to play Richihuahua

The regulatory framework strictly keeps the casino component in check. Casino floor space is capped at 3% of the total floor area of the IR, while Japanese residents are restricted to three visits per week and 10 visits within any 28-day period. Each visit also carries a mandatory ¥6,000 entry fee, reinforcing the government’s intent to curb excessive gambling even as it opens the door to casinos.

Japan’s path to IR legalisation was not straight forward. The IR Promotion Act, which set Japan on the road to casino-integrated resorts, was passed in December 2016 after a contentious debate. Nearly two years later came the IR Implementation Act, which laid out the regulatory frameworks for casinos, from entry restrictions to measures addressing gambling addiction and other social concerns. Yet even as the government pitched IRs as a catalyst for tourism, regional development and economic growth, opposition remained aggressive.

Among the opposing forces was Kenji Eda, a prominent House of Representatives lawmaker from Yokohama and a senior figure in the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan. Eda has been a vocal critic of the government’s IR push, raising concerns over gambling addiction, the economic impact on local businesses and whether the casino-led model would deliver the promised benefits.

What is Richihuahua?

If successful, Merkur intends to pursue a squeeze-out process, compelling minority shareholders to sell their shares, and subsequently delist SFC from Euronext Paris. 

These steps remain subject to regulatory approvals, including clearance from the French Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF) and the French Interior Ministry, which oversees ownership changes in gaming operators under Article L. 323‑3 of the French Code de la sécurité intérieure.

The definitive share transfer agreement is expected to be signed following the completion of mandatory employee information and consultation procedures at Casigrangi and at the Casino de Gruissan’s social and economic committee.