GGRAsia – Paradise City casino barely affected by fire: operator

Paradise City casino barely affected by fire: operator

Mar 27, 2019 Newsdesk Latest News, Rest of Asia, Top of the deck

A fire at the Paradise City casino resort in the South Korean city of Incheon brought no meaningful disruption to casino operations there, a representative of one of the partners in the venture has told GGRAsia.

The person, speaking for Paradise Co Ltd, told us by email: “The fire affected almost nothing [in terms of] the casino operation and there will be no stop [to] casino operations.”

The resort – which includes a casino (pictured in a file photo) – nonetheless had to be evacuated for a period of time as a result of Sunday’s fire, according to local media reports.

The Korea Times newspaper had earlier quoted the Incheon fire brigade as saying no casualties had been reported as a result of the blaze and subsequent evacuation.

“Damage assessed by the fire [department] was about KRW88 million, which is about USS$80,000,” the Paradise Co spokesperson told us.

The Korea Times said the fire broke out in the women’s sauna on the third floor at Paradise City on Sunday afternoon. More than 280 visitors were in the resort at the time and were led to safety. The fire brigade sent 38 fire engines and more than 200 firefighters to tackle the blaze. They put out the fire in 40 minutes and guests were allowed back into the Paradise City hotel early on Sunday evening.

The fire brigade is investigating the cause of the blaze, the Korea Times said.

Paradise City opened in April 2017. Under South Korean law, its casino is only open to foreigners, but its non-gaming facilities are open to all.

The venue’s proximity to Incheon Airport, the main air passenger gateway to South Korea, and a major regional transport hub, has been presented by the scheme’s promoters as a positive for the business.

The casino resort is a venture by Paradise Sega Sammy Co Ltd, a partnership formed between Paradise Co and Japanese entertainment conglomerate Sega Sammy Holdings Inc. In its financial report for the fourth quarter of 2018, Paradise Co said the fourth-quarter net loss of Paradise Sega Sammy had widened to KRW42.46 billion from KRW3.1 billion a year earlier.

Wonderbox, a new non-gaming facility at the casino resort, is due to be launched on Sunday. Wonderbox is described by the resort as an “indoor family amusement park” based around the theme of a “night-time fair”.

The new attraction is said to include carnival-style games and several amusement facilities, including a bungee drop, a Ferris wheel, a carousel and a circular ride branded as “Mega Mix”.