Kangwon Land Casino

Overview

Kangwon Land Casino holds a unique position in Asian gaming: it is the only casino in South Korea legally permitted to admit Korean nationals as guests. All other casinos in the country are restricted to foreigners. The casino was created by the government in 2000 specifically to revitalise the Jeongseon County coal-mining district after the Korean coal industry collapsed in the late 1980s and 1990s, displacing tens of thousands of mining workers and devastating the regional economy.

The Kangwon Land corporation is majority owned by the Korea Coal Corporation and government entities, which use casino revenues to fund regional economic development programmes. The casino operates under strict access restrictions — Korean nationals are subject to monthly visit limits and loss limits designed to mitigate problem gambling, and the resort is physically remote (in a highland mountain valley, roughly 3 hours from Seoul) in a deliberate effort to limit casual access.

Gaming & Hotel

1,360+ slot machines and 180 table games (baccarat, blackjack, roulette, poker). Main hotel: 200 rooms. The adjacent High 1 Resort complex offers ski slopes, golf, and additional accommodation for a total of 1,200+ rooms across the integrated leisure campus.