Kangwon Land, the only South Korean casino in which locals are allowed to gamble, has extended its latest closure period until 7 September as it continues to be impacted by the nation’s battle to contain COVID-19.
Having ceased casino operations for six days from Sunday 23 August, Kangwon Land posted an update on Friday in which it confirmed extension of the closure period until next Monday 7 September.
It is the second time this year the casino has been forced to close, having originally suspended operations on 23 February before reopening for VIP guests on 8 May and for main gaming floor players from 20 July.
As recently reported by Inside Asian Gaming, Kangwon Land had been gradually increasing capacity since reopening, from an initial cap on daily visitation of 750 people to 1,800 people as of mid-August – roughly 25% of full capacity.
This latest closure comes after Kangwon Land reported an operating loss of KRW104 billion (US$87.7 million) in 2Q20 as a result of COVID-19.
As of Monday, South Korea had recorded a total of 17,974 cases and 324 deaths, with 248 new cases in the previous 24 hours.