South Korea’s foreigner-only casino operator, Grand Korea Leisure Co Ltd (GKL), has reported a increase in casino sales for April. According to its latest filing with the Korea Exchange, the operator posted KRW36.17 billion (US$25.9 million) in casino sales for April, marking an 11.5 percent increase year-on-year. However, the monthly figure reflects a 12.7 percent dip compared to March.
Of the April revenue total, table-game sales accounted for KRW32.86 billion. This represents a year-on-year growth of 11.7 percent and marks a 14.5 percent decline from the March figures. For the month, slot and machine-game revenues brought in KRW3.32 billion, a 10.3 percent rise compared to April 2024. The figure is up 10.5 percent sequentially.
January-April figures
From January through April, GKL reported total casino sales of KRW144.42 billion, marking a 14.5 percent increase year-on-year. For the same period, GKL reported a 9.9 percent decline in its “drop” – the amount spent by customers to purchase gaming chips – totaling KRW1.11 trillion.
For the month of March, the firm’s casino sales reached KRW41.45 billion, up 27.7 percent from February. They were up 2.6 percent year-on-year. In February, the operator reported a 5.5 percent decline in casino revenue sequentially to KRW32.45 billion. This marked 3.6 percent year-on-year decline. For February, table-game revenue totalled KRW29.99 billion. This marked a 3.8 percent drop year-on-year, and a 4.5 percent decline compared to the previous month.
Meanwhile in January, GKL reported a decline in casino sales. GKL registered an 11.3 percent decline in casino revenue sequentially to KRW34.34 billion. However, the January casino sales were up 75.3 percent year-on-year. Meanwhile, table games continued to contribute majorly to the casino revenue, coming in at KRW31.41 billion. This marked a monthly fall of 11.9 percent.
GKL’s partnership with Robotis
In a recent development, GKL announced a new partnership with robotics company Robotis to introduce artificial intelligence (AI)-powered self-driving robots at its casino properties last month. The agreement, signed last week, marks a major step in GKL’s move toward becoming a “smart casino” operator. The new technology is aimed at enhancing customer experience and streamlining casino operations.
As per the agreement, the two businesses will use autonomous robots to develop a business model and service system. Participating in the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy’s extensive convergence robot demonstration project, autonomous robots will deliver game chips and cards to three Seven Luck stores.
