About this app
What is Wild Hearts?
The government said it aims to achieve this by increasing the forfeiture rate when gaming machine entitlements are traded from one in three to one in two.
The NSW government initiated its first formal review of ClubGRANTS in over a decade after taking office in 2023. Although the final report was submitted in January 2025, it has yet to be released publicly.
A government spokesperson stated that ministers are still considering the review’s findings, while updated guidance has been issued to clarify funding criteria for statewide services and tax obligations.
What is Wild Hearts?
This required operators to subject players to rigorous checks before signing up new VIPs, including having their betting behaviour being closely monitored.
Operators were also banned from incentivising customers based on losses, and reward programmes must be overseen by senior management. The code restricts any player under the age of 25 from taking part.
According to a GC report from 2025, the number of VIP customers in the market had dropped by 95% per operator since the strengthening of restrictions.
About Wild Hearts
Japan’s ability to lure back the world’s biggest casino developers will hinge on the regulatory framework the government unveils later this year, says Klebanow.
If it strikes a more reasonable balance that encourages economic development, “you will see the world’s best casino operators submit proposals”, he says. The government, he adds, must show it is prepared to give developers enough room to manage the risks of committing billions of dollars in capital.
Klebanow remains cautious about the commercial prospects of Japan’s emerging IR market, particularly given the tight limits on gaming capacity. With only five casinos ultimately envisaged, he argues that the number of gaming machines and tables will be modest relative to Japan’s population, making it “very safe to assume” that gambling will be socially and physically contained.
