South Korean government tells Jeju casinos to reopen from October 1

Five casinos on the islands have yet to reopen after closing due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

South Korea.- Some Jeju Island casinos remain closed as a result of Covid-19 measures and the lack of tourists. However the government has told casinos to reopen next month, unless they have good reason not to.

Some casinos have already reopened their doors following the resumption of visa-free entry to Jeju Island for holders of certain passports, including those from mainland China. However, five of the eight foreigner-only venues remain closed.

They include Bloomberry’s Jeju Sun which has been closed since March 21, 2020, and has pushed back its reopening date from July 30 to October due to the slow growth of inbound tourism. MegaLuck Casino, owned by Hong Kong-listed New Silkroad Culturaltainment Ltd, had expected to resume operations on November 1, but there’s no word from the three other properties.

In 2020 and 2021, arrivals to Jeju Island reached 212,767 and 48,278, respectively, down 87.7 per cent and 77.3 per cent. In the first quarter of 2022, the number of overseas arrivals was 10,307, an increase of 8.4 per cent when compared to the same period of 2021.

Casino revenue in South Korea in 2021 was down 59.7 per cent compared to KRW2.93tn in 2019, the most recent trading year before the Covid-19 pandemic hit travel and tourism.