South Korea: only two Jeju casinos currently open

Jeju Shinhwa World and Paradise Casino are the only foreigner-only casinos currently operating on Jeju island in South Korea.

South Korea.- Although there are eight casinos on Jeju island, only two are open: Jeju Shinhwa World, operated by Hong Kong-listed Landing International, and Paradise Casino.

The casinos are struggling owing to the lack of tourism due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In some cases, there is no opening date in sight.

South Korea’s foreigner-only casino operators depend almost entirely on the arrival of tourists. During the first two months of 2021 combined, tourist arrivals to South Korea were down 93.7 per cent.

Lotte Tour Development recently received permission to transfer its casino to the Jeju Dream Tower, but the company could face a new delay in opening due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The government has postponed the deadline for South Korean casinos to pay their sales taxes.

According to local media, Jeju has recorded 41 new Covid-19 cases during April. South Korea has recorded 698 new cases in 24 hours.