Kangwon Land Inc, owners of the only casino resort in South Korea where the country’s nationals can gamble, has resumed operations at limited capacity due to the coronavirus pandemic. On October 12, VIP play was allowed with a maximum of 68 seats, while slot machines and electronic tables areas could accommodate up to 750 people, according to ggrasias.com.
All guests must be seated, the company stated, and masks are mandatory, according to IAG.
The Kangwon Land casino shut down February 23 at the start of the pandemic. Operations resumed in early May for the VIP areas. The main gaming floor reopened July 20. A spike in infections forced closure again August 23.
In a filing to the Korea Exchange, Kangwon Land said losses between August 23 and October 12 were KRW62.7 billion (US$53.9 million), based on daily-average casino sales during the first half of 2020.
After Korea’s second wave reached a peak of 441 new cases on August 26, daily infection numbers had fallen below 100 since the start of October, but on Tuesday the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency reported a monthly high of 102 new cases recorded in the past 24 hours.
