Inside Asian Gaming

IAG NOV 2022年11月 亞博匯 97 26-50 CLAIMS TO FAME 名成事跡 Former Governor of North Gyeongsang Province Former 2nd Vice Minister of the Ministry of Public Administration and Security 前慶尚北道知事 原公共行政和安全部第二副部長 CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Kangwon Land 首席執行官 江原樂園 POWER SCORE 權能指數: 698 POSITION LAST YEAR 去年排名: 39 LEE SAM-GEOL 31 SINCE HIS APPOINTMENT as Kangwon Land’s new CEO in March 2021, former 2nd Vice Minister of the Ministry of Public Administration and Security Lee Sam-geol hasn’t yet had the opportunity to witness Korea’s only casino for locals in full swing. But all indications are that he won’t have to wait much longer. The remote property returned to profit for the first time in a year in 2Q22, with gross gaming revenue up 51.5% year-on-year and 45.0% sequentially to KRW308.8 billion (US$237 million) – driven by strength in the mass gaming segment. While foot traffic remains some way below 2019 levels, JP Morgan analysts DS Kim and Livy Lyu noted that drop amount had rebounded more strongly, indicating “a meaningful uplift in spending per player. “We think this is very encouraging, especially for a capacity- constrained casino like Kangwon Land,” they said, adding that Kangwon Land looks set to surpass 2019 GGR in the near future “given how fast demand has recovered since easing of COVID- related curbs. That’s good news for Lee, who has been tasked with overseeing a casino whose primary purpose is to fund government support of the local area. Located 150 kilometers (93 miles) from Seoul, Kangwon Land was borne out of Korea’s conversion to gas and oil for energy, leading to the closure of mines in Gangwon province in 1989. Legislation in 1995 encouraged redevelopment of abandoned mining areas, prompting local, provincial and national authorities to found Kangwon Land Inc, which is 51% government owned and overseen by the national Ministry of Knowledge Economy. Supporting that pursuit, national government officials recently rejected calls to permit locals gaming in some other parts of the country like Jeju, while the property’s casino license has also been extended for 20 years until 2045. 自2021年3月 被任命為江原樂園新任首席執行官之後，曾擔任韓國公共行政 和安全部第二副部長的Lee Sam-geol尚未有機會親眼見證韓國唯一對本地 人開放賭場的全面運作。 然而，所有跡像都表明他不會再等太久了。 這個偏遠地區的物業在2022年的第二季度恢復盈利，博彩總收入按 年增長51.5%，按月上升45%，至3088億韓元（2.37億美元），主要由於 中場市場的推動。 儘管客流量仍遠低於2019年的水平，但摩根大通分析師DS Kim和 Livy Lyu認為，反彈將更為強勁，表明「每位玩家的支出顯著上升」。 「我們認為這是非常令人鼓舞的，尤其是對於像江原樂園這樣運力受 限的賭場而言。」他們補充道：「鑑於放寬防疫措施以來需求激增，江原 樂園的GGR有望在不久之後超過2019年。」 為Lee而言這無疑是個好消息，他的工作就是監督這家國有賭場，目 的是為政府支持地方提供資金。 江原樂園距離首爾150公里（93英里），誕生於韓國對於能源轉換導 致江原道的礦山於1989年關閉。 1995年的立法鼓勵對廢棄礦區的重新開發，促使地方、省和國家當 局成立了江原樂園公司，該公司由政府持股51%，並由國家知識經濟部監 管。 為支持這一決定，韓國政府近期拒絕了開放本地人可在濟州島等其他 地區賭博的呼籲。同時江原樂園的賭牌被延長了20年，至2045年。