Jeju casinos post all-time high US$456 million GGR in 2025 as travel expands

South Korea’s Jeju Island saw its eight currently-operating foreigner-only casinos collectively generate record annual gross gaming revenue (GGR) in 2025. That is according to Jeju-government information obtained by GGRAsia.

The provisional tally was approximately KRW646.50 billion (US$435.7 million), a circa 40.8-percent increase from the KRW458.90 billion in 2024.

Jeju’s preliminary 2025 casino-revenue figures were based on data processed between January and March this year.

The island’s government has scheduled onsite inspections at each Jeju casino venue between April 8 and April 17, with the confirmed 2025 revenue tally due to be finalised by the end of April, the official said.

The local government said in a statement to GGRAsia, the year-on-year improvement in Jeju casino GGR was in likelihood due to a number of factors. They included: rising inbound tourism; improved air links; and intensified marketing efforts by casino operators.

Foreign-visitor arrivals to Jeju tallied just over 2.24 million in 2025, according to the Jeju government. That was 17.7 percent up on Jeju Tourism Organization data for 2024, that showed nearly 1.91 million arrivals. In 2025, international flight services rose by 12.4 percent to 227 weekly flights, versus 202 a year earlier, according to the Jeju government’s latest announcement.

Since 2009, the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province has exercised a degree of regulatory authority over the island’s casino sector.

A Jeju government official said in response to GGRAsia’s enquiry that mass-market customers were the main contributors to the revenue expansion for the casinos, rather than their VIP clients.

Chinese and Japanese – who have long been important contributors to inbound tourism for South Korea – are allowed to enter Jeju island without either a pre-arrival visa or a Korea Electronic Travel Authorization (K-ETA) document, according to GGRAsia checks.

Jeju waives pre-arrival visas for most nationalities. Exceptions are in line with national policy. The exceptions apply to passport holders of 23 countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cameroon, Egypt, Ghana, the Gambia, Iraq, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, Senegal, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Uganda, Uzbekistan, and Yemen.

The Jeju government’s statement on provisional 2025 GGR had mentioned that Jeju casino operators must donate between 1 and 10 percent of their gaming revenues to the Jeju Tourism Promotion Fund, depending on their annual performance.

Between 2023 and up to 2025, the Jeju fund had accumulated KRW73.80 billion. Operators must pay their assessed 2025 contributions in four instalments between June and December 2026, based on the finalised revenue amount as eventually confirmed in April this year.

The Jeju government clarified to GGRAsia that Jeju casinos are not required to contribute to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s tourism fund in the manner of casinos on the Korean peninsula.