Half of Jeju residents link casinos to rising crime, survey says
A survey on Jeju Island has found that nearly half of residents believe that the island’s foreigner-only casinos are responsible for an increase in crime.
South Korea.- A recent survey conducted by the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province has revealed nearly 49.9 per cent of residents attributed a surge in local crime to foreigner-only casinos, while only 14.2 per cent disagreed.
The survey involved 1,000 islanders aged 19 and above. It was conducted between October and November of 2023 and didn’t delve into participants’ reasons for associating casino operations with an uptick in criminal activities.
51.4 per cent of surveyed people advocated for stricter state regulations on casinos, while 27.3 per cent believed the industry required more government support.
In contrast, about four out of ten islanders believe that casinos help attract more foreign visitors and increase tourist spending, while 33.7 per cent believe the industry contributes to job creation.
Jeju Island, a Self-Governing Province, hosts eight foreigner-only casinos, including the Jeju Shinhwa World, operated by Shin Hwa World, and the Jeju Dream Tower resort, managed by Lotte Tour Development.
Jeju Dream Tower has recently reported casino sales for the full year 2023 rose 248.7 per cent year-on-year, from KRW43.68bn to KRW152.30bn (US$116.1m).
December casino revenue declined 20.6 per cent month-on-month from KRW18bn (US$13.8m) to KRW14.22bn (US$10.84m). The figure was up 582.5 per cent in year-on-year terms. Table-game sales amounted to KRW13.21bn (US$10.065m), down from KRW16.2bn (US$12.45m) in November. Machine-game sales declined 37.5 per cent month-on-month from KRW1.9bn to KRW12.14bn (US$9.25m).
