Korea greenlights casino cruise ships

Tuesday 28th of July 2015

South Korea has given the go-ahead for Korean ships to operate onboard casinos for foreign passengers when sailing from overseas as early as next year, local media reports.

The Ministry of Fisheries and Oceans said that an ordinance was approved by the Cabinet and will come into effect on August 4th.

The move is intended to help rejuvenate the local cruise industry, helping it to compete better with foreign rivals.

Several companies have already expressed their interest and we are expecting the first vessel to cruise as early as next year, Ministry Official Han Dong-soo told The Korea Herald.

The ordinance states that the operator should have investment-grade status from credit-rating institutions. The size of the casino will be limited to less than 2,600 square meters for 100,000-ton vessels or larger, and less than 1,300 square meters for vessels smaller than 100,000-ton capacity.

The casinos should be equipped with a foreign currency exchange booth and an Internal Computing system accredited by the Tourism Ministry.

The ships will still ban gambling by locals, despite calls from some quarters to allow them to play on the cruise liners.

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