South Korean Ministry Launches Probe into Grand Korea Leisure Over Alleged 2025 Casino Visitor Inflation
TL;DR — South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is investigating GKL for allegedly inflating 2025 visitor numbers to 1,117,165, with uncarded guests rising to 35.4% despite AML restrictions. The probe follows a ‘C’ evaluation grade for GKL and an unsatisfactory rating for President Yoon Doo-hyun. The company says it is cooperating but denies the claims.
SCCG Take — The case exposes how performance metrics tied to visitor data can incentivize manipulation at state-linked operators, requiring tighter verification controls.
South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is investigating foreigner-only casino operator Grand Korea Leisure (GKL) and its Seven Luck Casino operation over allegations the company artificially inflated visitor numbers in 2025.
As reported by Inside Asian Gaming, local outlet Yonhap News Agency detailed GKL’s internal data listing 1,117,165 total visitors, of which 721,817 held membership cards and 395,348 were uncarded. The proportion of uncarded customers rose from 25.2% in 2023 to 32.0% in 2024 and 35.4% last year.
This rise is viewed as unusual. Uncarded customers are heavily restricted under GKL’s AML Guidelines and cannot purchase chips for play, exchange them for cash or check, or utilize currency exchange.
Performance Metrics Under Scrutiny
The allegation centers on significant inflation of uncarded passport visitors reported to the Ministry. Visitor numbers serve as a quantitative indicator of performance in management evaluations by the Ministry of Finance and Economy.
In the 2025 Public Institution Management Evaluation, GKL received a “C” or average grade. President Yoon Doo-hyun was rated “unsatisfactory” for his performance in fulfilling management contracts. The company’s target visitation rate fell from 91.6% in June to 69.1% in July and the “low 60% range” in August after the internal investigation began.
Statements and Corporate Structure
A GKL official stated: “We are currently actively cooperating with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s request for data. Allegations of ‘fictitious counting’ or ‘visitor inflating’ are not confirmed facts.”
A Ministry representative confirmed: “We are currently verifying the facts and will take necessary measures depending on the results. We plan to utilize all available methods to ascertain the facts.”
GKL is a partially government-owned, publicly traded company with a 51% stake held by the state-owned Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) under the Ministry. The remaining 49% is held by public investors. The company operates three foreigner-only casinos in Seoul and Busan.
Reporting: Inside Asian Gaming
Generated by SCCG’s automated editorial system from published source reporting. SCCG Management holds editorial responsibility.
When KPIs tied to visitor data drive evaluations at state operators, expect creative counting — and regulatory blowback.
We track compliance infrastructure across Asia-Pacific regulated markets daily. This probe shows how soft metrics — visitor counts without transactional verification — create gaming-the-system risk at government-linked operators. It's a red flag for partners evaluating integrity controls in state-run casino environments and a reminder that AML frameworks need teeth beyond policy.
- Uncarded visitors rose to 35.4% in 2025 despite severe AML restrictions on their activity
- GKL received 'C' grade; CEO rated 'unsatisfactory' after visitation targets missed post-probe
- Ministry now verifying data; outcome will shape oversight of state-linked casino operators region-wide
SCCG angle: SCCG works with compliance tech providers and Asian regulators. If you're building or auditing visitor verification systems — especially in government-supervised environments — we connect you to the vendors and regulatory advisors who hardwire transactional proof into headcount metrics, so performance reviews don't invite creative accounting.
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