Inside Asian Gaming

IAG NOV 2020年11月 亞博匯 99 2020 亞博匯50強 MOON TAEGON INTERIM CHAIRMAN, CEO Kangwon Land 行政總裁及臨時主席 江原樂園 37 POWER SCORE 權能指數 : 732 POSITION LAST YEAR 去年排名 : 37 CLAIMS TO FAME 名成事跡 Returned profit growth to Korea’s only casino for local players Joined Kangwon Land from government’s Bureau of Audit that formulated measures to limit casino’s revenue. Promoted to interim Chairman after two years as CEO • • • • • • 為韓國唯一一家對本國國民開放的娛樂場重新帶來盈利增長 從制定娛樂場收入上限的國家審計局加入江原樂園 擔任行政總裁兩年後升任為臨時主席 REWIND TO JANUARY and Moon Taegon was living on the sunny side of the street. Recently appointed interim Chairman of South Korean casino operator Kangwon Land, the company was in the midst of a solid comeback in the wake of some past regulatory challenges, capping a solid record since he first took over as CEO in late 2017. In February, the only casino in Korea at which locals are allowed to gamble reported a 12.7% year-on-year increase in net profit to KRW335.1 billion (US$292 million) for FY2019, despite a 2.4% fall in casino sales which was offset by a 100% increase in revenue from water-based theme park Water World. Then, just a couple of weeks after the results were unveiled, the company put in place a timid 24-hour closure to help control COVID-19. It didn’t open again until 8 May for VIP guests and 20 July for main gaming floor players. On 23 August, a second wave of the virus forced Kangwon Land to close again. As a government-owned entity, Kangwon Land faces perhaps greater scrutiny than any of the nation’s foreigner-only casinos, and Moon, who previously worked for the government’s Bureau of Audit, understands better than most the challenges this can bring. At time of writing, the casino’s latest closure period has been extended for a fourth time with no clear indication of when its doors will open again. But at least when it does, Kangwon Land can look forward to more breathing room: in May the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism extended Kangwon Land Co Ltd’s casino license for three more years and with it granted permission to extend its operating hours and open more gaming tables on the usually crowded mass gaming floor. 時光倒回一月之時 ，Moon Taegon的生活尚順風順水。他剛被任命為韓國賭 場營運商江原樂園的臨時主席，在歷經過往的一些監管挑戰之後，該公司本正 穩步復甦，並創下自他於2017年末接手行政總裁以來的最好記錄。 今年二月，這間韓國唯一對本國國民開放入內賭博的賭場報告稱，儘管 娛樂場銷售額出現輕微下跌，但由於水上主題樂園Water World出現的100% 收入上升，其2019年錄得純利3351億韓圜（2.92億美元）按年上升12.7%。 但就在該結果公佈僅數周之內，該公司就謹慎的選擇因應防控新冠肺炎 疫情而關閉24小時。直至5月8日才重新對貴賓玩家開放，而至7月20日才對中 場玩家開放。8月23日韓國出現的第二波疫情迫使江原樂園再度關閉。 作為一間政府所有的實體，江原樂園所面臨的審查可能比韓國任何一家 只向外國人開放的賭場都要嚴格，而曾在政府的審計局工作過的Moon Tae- gon無疑比大多數人都了解這一點可能帶來的挑戰。就在本文落筆之時，這間 賭場的關閉期間已經被第四次延長，目前尚無任何明確跡象表明何時會再度 開放。 但這樣至少江原樂園可以獲得更多的喘息空間：五月，韓國文化體育觀 光部將江原樂園的賭牌延長了三年，並且允許其延長營業時間及在中場娛樂 場區域增加更多張賭枱。