TOKYO (REUTERS) - Japan's pro-casino lawmakers have submitted a casino legalisation bill to parliament, sources said on Tuesday, a move Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has supported as a part of his economic growth strategy.

Lawmakers have said it was unclear when the bill would be passed. It has been delayed repeatedly amid opposition from lawmakers worried about gambling addiction.

Companies such as Las Vegas Sands Corp and MGM Resorts International are vying to win licences to operate casinos in Japan, a market that brokerage CLSA estimates could generate annual revenue of US$40 billion (S$53 billion). But analysts have said it was already looking difficult to build resorts in time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.