Casino license aimed at South Korean Pacific island Rota in early 2025

A company spokesperson in South Korea told GGRAsia: “We are renovating the closed ‘Rota Resort & Country Club’, aiming for inaugurating the bricks and mortar casino in early 2025.”

The person added that Rota’s mayor “would announce the casino inauguration soon”.

The IH Group representative added: “We also plan to develop a new casino hotel and resort, water park, multi-purpose complexes, [under] the project name ‘Rota Casino & City Project’ [pictured in an artist's rendering], for the long run.”

According to IH Group’s company website, it was founded in 2010, “focusing on tourism development… promoted by IH Corp in Rota”.

Rota, which covers 85.1 square kilometres (32.9 sq. miles), is part of the United States Pacific jurisdiction called the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

The Marianas Variety newspaper recently reported – citing IH Group chair Kyunam Kim – that the Rota Casino Gaming Commission issued his company with a casino licence on July 5.

Marianas Variety cited Mr Kim as saying IH Group was required to pay a US$200,000 annual fee, and that what the newspaper termed “Rota casino law” also required a US$5 million “investment threshold”. The report did not specify if the annual fee was a combined one for the land-based and online permits.

IH Group said in its own undated press release, that it had already installed five baccarat tables, one blackjack table, and 30 slot machines on the island, and that “dealer training” would begin in January 2025, “with plans to open casinos at three locations across Rota Island”.

The press release said Rota had granted it an online casino licence last month. The announcement added that the island’s gaming commission had visited South Korea from August 25 to September 1, in order to “meticulously assess the company’s preparations for operating both online and offline casino businesses”

IH Group added: “After thorough evaluation, the commission granted the licence to IH Group.”

The company said the online permission gave it “authority to provide online casino services to over 170 countries worldwide”. Though the firm said the online rights included the possibility of an online casino studio being located “outside Rota island”.

Saipan – the location of a suspended casino project backed by Imperial Pacific International Holdings Ltd, a firm subject in April to a winding-up order by a Hong Kong court – is also part of the Northern Mariana Islands.