Grand Korea Leisure Co Ltd (GKL), an operator within South Korea of foreigner-only casino venues, could be among businesses to benefit if a trial scheme for visa-free entry for certain mainland China visitors is extended “indefinitely”.
That is according to commentary from KB Securities Co Ltd, an investment institution, as cited in a Monday story by South Korean news outlet Chosun Biz.
The visa-free scheme had been announced on March 20 by South Korea’s Foreign Ministry as a temporary step, though reports at the time didn’t mention an expiry date.
Also on March 20, China’s English-language Global Times newspaper had described it as a “trial programme allowing Chinese tour groups to enter visa-free through designated travel agencies”.
Lee Sun-hwa, a researcher at KB Securities, was cited on Monday by Chosun Biz as saying: “The recovery of GGR (the total amount bet minus the winnings) in Macau indicates that the Chinese economy is improving and that the government regulations are being relaxed.”
The analyst added: “There can be a spillover effect for foreign casino operators in [South] Korea.”
In the first half of 2025, Grand Korea Leisure’s aggregate casino sales were up 9.0 percent year-on-year, to just above KRW209.86 billion. The information was released at the time of its June results issued to the Korea Exchange on July 3.
Grand Korea Leisure runs three foreigner-only, Seven Luck-branded, casinos. Two are in the capital Seoul, including one at Gangnam. Its third is in the southeastern port city of Busan.
South Korea has an extensive casino industry, though all but one of the gaming venues are foreigner-only facilities.
China has had a long-standing public education campaign among its own citizens against “overseas gambling” and “cross-border gambling”, and issues periodic warnings on the topic.
South Korea has long been a popular destination for Chinese consumers in relation to food, cosmetics, K-pop and other forms of Korean popular culture and fashion.
