Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd. has upped the ante against its casino rivals to win the chance to build a casino resort in Japan, declaring there¡¯s no limit on how much the company is prepared to invest.

¡°This opportunity is priceless and we¡¯ll spend whatever it takes to win,¡± CEO Lawrence Ho said in a briefing held Wednesday at a CLSA Ltd. conference in Tokyo. The billionaire said the investment amount will depend on the host city, and his top choice for a casino resort is in the city of Osaka, where Melco has done more planning.

Ho¡¯s comments followed those of fellow casino tycoon Sheldon Adelson, who declared Japan the ultimate business opportunity for his Las Vegas Sands Corp., and where he could spend as much as $10 billion (about ?1.13 trillion) building an integrated resort.

Japan legalized casinos in December, drawing the interest of global gaming operators to a market CLSA predicts could be worth as much as $25 billion.

MGM Resorts International CEO James Murren, speaking at the same event, touted the Las Vegas-based operator¡¯s size and clout in bringing in entertainers, and said it was hiring more staff to explore gaming options.

Melco¡¯s Ho, whose father Stanley Ho is a Macau gaming legend who held the city¡¯s casino monopoly for decades, took a dig at the design choices of operators in Las Vegas and in Macau, where four of Melco¡¯s properties are located. Those won¡¯t be a good fit for Japan, he said.

¡°If you put up some of the tacky buildings that you have in Las Vegas or Macau here it would look out of place. Can you imagine the Venetian here?¡± he said in a speech to investors at the CLSA conference. Sands, the world¡¯s biggest gaming operator, has casinos in both cities that are named the Venetian.

¡°It¡¯s important we work with government authorities,¡± the 40-year-old Ho said. ¡°Ultimately what makes an integrated resort successful is how we work with communities.¡± Hong Kong-based Melco would ideally want to own a majority stake in any tie-up with local partners, but the company would keep an open mind on the structure, he said.

Similarly, MGM prefers working with Japanese partners rather than have full ownership of a project, according to Murren.

Osaka ¡°really has that fun element¡± and fits the entertainment profile that Melco is keen on, said Ho, whose company operates the $3.2 billion Hollywood-themed Studio City resort that opened in Macau in 2015.

Melco sees its role as helping expand Japan¡¯s tourism, Ho said, adding that he¡¯s ¡°shocked¡± that the country attracts only about 20 million tourists a year. That¡¯s compared with the 30 million who visit Macau, the Chinese city that¡¯s also the world¡¯s largest gambling hub.