Kangwon Land Casino Resumes Business

Kangwon Land, the only casino resort in the country where domestic gambling is allowed, was scheduled to resume operations at noon this Friday (May 8), three days earlier than expected, Kangwon Land said in a filing Thursday. Kangwon Land has suspended game operations eight times in a row, and its latest extension was set to run until May 11.

The resort's publicist described the resort's initial casino closure notice as a precautionary measure related to the COVID-19 pandemic that has severely affected the country.

Kangwon Land originally announced the temporary closure of casinos from noon on Feb. 23 to 6 a.m. on Feb. 26, then extended it eight times in a row, over nearly 11 weeks.

The company said in a filing on Thursday that it expects lost casino sales to reach 267.8 billion won ($222.3 million) from the start of casino shutters on Feb. 23. The estimate was based on Kangwon Land's daily casino revenue for all of 2019, the initiative's promoter added.

"In line with the evolution of the COVID-19 disease in South Korea, non-game facilities in the complex were to be gradually opened," Kangwon Land said in a previous filing. 안전한 카지노사이트

At least two foreigner-only casino operators have announced that they are temporarily suspending their gaming operations in line with South Korea's efforts to curb the further spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Grand Korea Leisure Inc. and Paradise Inc. have since reopened their respective gaming venues.

According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) on Thursday, South Korea recorded four new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total to 10,810.

South Korea has been praised by many international experts as one of the first countries in the world to control a major COVID-19 outbreak. The number of new cases in South Korea has been gradually decreasing since peaking at 909 on Feb. 28.