All casinos in South Korea are now required to ask customers for proof they have either completed a course of vaccination against Covid-19, or possess a valid ‘negative’ test result. The rule came into general effect from January 11, with the foreigner-only casinos the ones most recently asked to comply, a spokesperson from the nation’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism confirmed to GGRAsia on Friday. The rule applies until further notice, as far as the foreigner-only venues are concerned.
Proof of a ‘booster’ shot – i.e., commonly a third jab, is only required if the customer had their initial vaccination more than six months prior to seeking casino entry. A ‘negative’ test result certificate must have been issued within 48 hours of the customer seeking entry.
Daegu Casino, run by Golden Crown Ltd at Hotel Inter Burgo in Daegu, a city in the southeast of the country, has been given until January 26 to comply with the new rule, a venue representative told GGRAsia on Friday.
Jeju, island a semi-autonomous region with foreigner-only casinos and its own regulatory system for gaming independent of the South Korean mainland, has been applying such entry rules since December 18.
The casinos currently operating on Jeju are; Jeju Shinhwa World’s Landing Casino, run by Hong Kong-listed Landing International Development Ltd; Jeju Dream Tower Casino, operated by Korea-Exchange-listed Lotte Tour Development Co Ltd; and Paradise Jeju, run by Korea-Exchange-listed Paradise Co Ltd.
Kangwon Land Inc, operator of Kangwon Land, the only South Korean casino allowed to offer bets to locals, has separate arrangements.
It is also requiring either proof of vaccination or a valid ‘negative’ result for entry, but for now that protocol is only guaranteed until February 6.
Kangwon Land’s current daily operating hours are reduced from pre-pandemic ones. They are 10am to 10pm.
The conditions for entry in place at all the casinos are said to be in response to South Korea’s current social distancing rules designed as a Covid-19 countermeasure.
