Mohegan Inspire Entertainment Resort (pictured) has gained its five-star hotel rating, just over a month after it launched non-gaming facilities, and has now learned via a Wednesday announcement, that it has been approved for its foreigner-only casino licence.
Management for the complex at Incheon, South Korea, had previously explained to GGRAsia that such a luxury-hotel rating was a condition for the resort getting its licence for a foreigner-only casino to open on the site.
GGRAsia approached on Tuesday the management of the property for comment on when the casino would open. The entire complex is promoted by United States-based Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority, an entity that trades as Mohegan Gaming.
An Inspire official said: “We are aiming to open our casino before the Lunar New Year holiday,” on February 10. That was on the basis that casino licence was actually issued prior to that. The approval for licensing has now been confirmed by South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, a government body that has responsibility for the nation’s casino sector.
The Inspire spokeperson, who asked not to be identified, but who is understood to have direct knowledge of the situation, added: “The time needed for obtaining a five-star hotel grading was within our expectation.” The person added that the process for obtaining the casino licence had proceeded “like clockwork”.
The Korea Tourism Association – a body in charge of assigning hotel ratings – has granted Inspire’s hotel facilities a five-star rating valid until January 2, 2027, according to the association’s website.
An official of that body had previously told GGRAsia it had been trying to ensure the overall process – hotel grading and casino licence issuance – could be expedited in fewer than 150 days.
As typically, up to 90 days were required for hotel grading, and up 60 days for the casino permit, the idea had been to allow the project promoter to give officials notice of the two applications simultaneously, rather than consecutively, said the tourism association.
Inspire had a first-phase opening for non-gaming facilities on November 30.
(Updated 9.23am, Jan 24)
