South Korea’s three main casino operators have yet again extended their temporary shutdowns despite signs that the COVID-19 pandemic’s spread is slowing.

Last week, Kangwon Land casino – the only South Korean gaming venue that allows local residents onto its gaming floor – announced that it hopes to open its doors on the morning of April 20. That would be two months since its original closure announcement on February 23.

Kangwon Land leads all Korean casinos in revenue generation and this latest shutdown extension – the fifth since that original February order – is dealing a major blow to the company’s finances. Based on its 2019 daily average revenue, the company expects total revenue losses of KRW296b (US$240m), assuming it actually reopens as planned on April 20.

South Korea’s two largest foreigners-only casino operators – Grand Korea Leisure and Paradise Co Ltd – shut down their casinos on March 24. Paradise said Monday that it hoped to reopen on April 13 but acknowledged that this could stretch to April 20. Paradise’s figures for March show revenue falling 60.5% year-on-year to KRW17.7b as turnover tumbled nearly three-quarters.