Kangwon Land Casino Seeks High Rollers With Extravagant New Table Game Minimums
Posted on: May 20, 2025, 09:30h.
Last updated on: May 20, 2025, 09:36h.
- Kangwon Land will soon offer higher table game minimums
- Kangwon Land is the only casino where Koreans can legally gamble
- The remote casino resort is seeking to lure new guests to the property
Kangwon Land, the only casino in South Korea where locals can play, is hoping to appeal to a richer clientele with its latest government-approved table game offering.
On Tuesday, Kangwon Land announced it has received approval to significantly raise table game minimums for mass market and VIP blackjack and Texas Hold’em games.
Beginning on Wednesday, May 21, casino officials say the minimum for such tables will increase to KRW300K (US$215). The previous minimum was KRW100K.
South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism signed off on the minimum bet petition. The higher tables come just weeks after the same government agency approved Kangwon Land offering two VIP baccarat tables where each wager must be at least KRW500K — up from KRW50K before the change.
In 2024, the average annual salary in South Korea was approximately 45.8 million KRW, or about $34K.
Remote Casino Seeks Deep Pockets
Kangwon Land is owned and operated by the South Korean government. Opened in October 2000, the casino resort was built at the site of a former coal mine.
Located in a remote region of the Gangwon Province, the Korean government forbids its citizens and residents from gambling at any other casino, including the financial disaster that is Inspire at the Incheon International Airport. Korea believes limiting gaming options prevents its people from developing gambling disorders.
Increasing table minimums for mass market and VIP tables seemingly goes against the public safety pledge. The minimum wager hike also comes as the national economy is said to be stalling.
Only the most committed gamblers make the trek to Kangwon Land, which is about 100 air miles east of Seoul and 100 miles south of the North Korean border.
The Korean government has sought to make the resort more appealing to families and leisure travelers by recently investing in nongaming amenities and attractions. Last fall, Casino.org reported that part of the government’s more than $1.8 billion renovation of the casino and hotel would include many improvements unrelated to the facility’s 1,360 slot machines and 200 table games.
Forthcoming attractions include a larger shopping mall, more dining, and a larger performance venue to accommodate premier K-pop acts.
Just as Las Vegas transformed from a desert mining town into a global entertainment hub, Kangwon Land has the potential to transform from a former coal mining region. Distance is no longer a barrier in today’s world, and we aim to create a world-class destination here,” Kangwon Land CEO Choi Cheol-kyoo said at the time.
“People are willing to travel long distances to visit Las Vegas in the middle of the desert. We aim to develop a similar complex in our vicinity,” Choi added.
Inspire Needs Locals
After Mohegan defaulted on Inspire, its $1.6 billion foreigners-only casino, the future of the integrated resort is unknown. Bain Capital is seeking to sell its management rights after Mohegan failed to pay its loan that the private equity giant lent.
Brendan Bussmann, managing partner of B Global Advisors, a Nevada-based gaming consultancy, believes Inspire cannot be a profitable enterprise until Korea allows it to welcome locals.
“Mohegan got the ball in the end zone and didn’t score. It will always be a challenge until they open up to locals. You need that constant visitor. Otherwise, you’re always worrying about airflow coming in and out,” Bussmann said in remarks to Global Gaming Business Magazine.
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