At long last, all eight casinos on Jeju Island, South Korea, have reopened after a series of Covid-19 shutdowns.
According to Inside Asian Gaming, the reopening of the Gongzi Jeju Casino on New Year’s Day marked the first time since early 2019 that all gaming halls on the island have been open at the same time.
The shutdowns took a toll on the Jeju Tourism Promotion Fund, which derives most of its revenues from casino payments. News Jeju reports that those payments dropped from US$38.3 million in 2019 to US$12.1 million in 2020, US$3.9 million in 2021 and just US$2.9 million in 2022.
The gaming halls, which only serve foreigners, took a hit with the closing of Korea’s international borders. Those borders opened to overseas tourists starting in April 2022, and by the end of the year, all but Gongzi Jeju had resumed business.
Only two casinos—the Landing at Jeju Shinhwa World and the Paradise Casino—remained open throughout the pandemic.
