Government mulls second casino for locals

Wednesday 3rd of August 2016

South Korea’s People’s Party are seeking to submit a revision bill that would pave the way for a second casino allowing Korean nationals to gamble, reports the Korea Times.

The casino would be located in the Saemangeum area in North Jeolla Province.

"Some lawmakers are working on a revision bill for the creation of an integrated casino resort, like Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, that allows access to Koreans," said Rep. Kim Kwan-young of the People's Party.

"Should a casino be open to locals, Marina Bay Sands said it would invest 5 to 10 trillion won ($4.5 billion to $9 billion) in the casino construction. In addition, it will produce 30,000 new jobs."

The casino, if established will set a higher entry fee ranging between KRW 50,000 to KRW 100,000 per person, compared to KRW 9,000, and will prevent locals from entering the casino for more than ten days per month.

Kim said he has already got the agreement from fellow lawmakers representing North Jeolla Province, including Chung Dong-young, who belongs to the National Assembly Land Infrastructure and Transport Committee, however, the casino plan is also expected to create a strong backlash from Kangwon Land and residents there.

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