Inside Asian Gaming

February 2015 inside asian gaming 37 Landing sees the Olympics as an “enormous marketing opportunity” for the Alpensia and plans to expand the casino, which houses 42 slots and EGMs, with 70 table games. “The acquisition will increase the group’s market shares and branding in the Korean casino industry, which will foster a positive synergistic effect on the other businesses of the group in Korea,” the company said. The government plans to speed this process along by revising investment limits to allow major Korean corporations to participate in the integrated resort industry. Existing rules stipulate that foreign investors must hold at least 51% of such projects before local players can join in. “Now, anybody, including large companies such as Samsung and Hyundai, can participate in the projects through fair competition,” a government official explained. The reforms envision the approval Feature Artist’s impression of the Jeju Island gaming resort to be developed jointly by Genting Singapore and Landing International. “The [close] proximity is one of the great advantages that draws Chinese tourists to Korea,” an official with the KTO recently told the English-language Korea Herald . “We saw more people coming from inland provinces as we focus our travel promotions on inland Chinese cities. The influence of the Korean [cultural] Wave has definitely been a strong attraction for Chinese tourists.” Clearly, the government has not been slow in grasping the implications. For one, it has extended the visa-free access Chinese nationals enjoy in Jeju—currently home to eight of the country’s 16 foreigners-only casinos—to Yangyang International Airport in Gangwon, which is served by charter flights from 12 cities in China, including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.