Inside Asian Gaming

IAG JUN 2021年6月 亞博匯 30 COVER STORY direct players,” notes Shaun McCamley, Managing Partner at gaming consultancy firm EuroPacific Asia. “Inflexible management styles, freezing winters and political issues through fforeign policy dictates are not user friendly compared with other Southeast Asian markets.” It’s not all doom and gloom, however. Once home to a litany of small and noticeably limited casino operations, the arrival of Paradise City in Incheon in 2017 and more recently Jeju Shinhwa World and Jeju Dream Tower highlight Korea’s recognition of the need for true integrated resorts if the country is ever to truly compete on the regional gaming stage. Shinhwa World, highlighted by an array of family attractions including an expansive waterpark, boasts 2,000 guest rooms, a variety of F&B options, retail, Jeju’s first convention center linked directly to a hotel and the island’s largest casino at around 5,775 square meters of floor space. The casino at Jeju Dream Tower will open soon in a similarly sized space, with operator Lotte Tour currently in the process of transferring casino operations from their current home at Lotte Hotel Jeju. “If and when COVID is over and flights and visa free travel return to normal Jeju and Dream Tower have a great opportunity,” offers Yona He Poda, long-time SVP, Asia Pacific of Forbes Travel Guide and previously with Four Seasons in Hong Kong. “DreamTower, Shinhwa and Paradise are developed with entertainment at their core, so will naturally draw regional holiday-makers and family. “Korea’s proximity to China and Japan is an advantage, although I think it may take two years to see a significant turnaround. Busan 釜山