Authorities on Jeju Island may allow Korean tourists from other parts of the peninsula to enter its currently foreigner-only casinos to help the industry recover from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
South Korea.- Authorities in South Korea are considering possible solutions to help the country’s foreigner-only casino industry, which has been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic.\u00a0Last week,\u00a0Bong Mi Hee, a professor at the Integrated Resort Tourism Research Centre at Inha Technical College<\/strong>, suggested remote gambling<\/a>, either using cryptocurrency or credit card, should be considered for Jeju casino venues.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now,\u00a0Felix Lee, senior assistant of IGamiX Management & Consulting in South Korea<\/strong>, said the government is reviewing a comprehensive plan for Jeju Island casinos, which reportedly includes a proposal to allow Korean tourists from other parts of the peninsula to gamble.\u00a0Lee noted that the proposal wouldn’t allow islanders themselves\u00a0to gamble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although there are eight casinos on Jeju island,\u00a0only three are open<\/strong>:\u00a0Jeju Shinhwa World<\/strong>, operated by Hong Kong-listed Landing International,\u00a0Paradise Casino<\/strong>, operated by Paradise Co Ltd, and Jeju Dream Tower, run by Lotte Tour Development Co Ltd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n South Korean authorities<\/a> have reported that the collection of gaming taxes declined 82.4 per cent year-on-year in 2020 <\/strong>to <\/strong>KRW81.8bn (US$70.5m).<\/p>\n\n\n\n As for the suggestion of online gaming, Lee said it was “a desperate measure from the casino industry in Jeju Island, which is in the worst situation. However, I think it is impossible for the time being due to high opposition.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n South Korea\u2019s casinos are open on a limited basis and with social distancing measures.\u00a0Lotte Tour Development Co Ltd<\/a>\u00a0recently revealed it sold more than 8,000 room nights as part of its year-end sale at Jeju Dream Tower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n