South Korea’s casino operators continue to take very different strategies in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Monday, foreigner-only casino operator Paradise Co Ltd announced that it was reopening its three gaming venues in Incheon, Seoul and Busan after weeks of pandemic-related closure. The news follows the reopening of Paradise’s casino on Jeju Island one week ago.

However, as Paradise was firing off its starter’s pistol, rival Grand Korea Leisure (GKL) was announcing yet another extension of the closure of its three foreigner-only casinos. The new hopeful reopening date is May 6, which would mark seven weeks since GKL’s three Seven Luck-branded casinos originally shut their doors.

Similarly, South Korea’s largest casino Kangwon Land, which shut its doors on February 23, announced last Friday that it was extending its closure until Monday, May 4 at 6am. Kangwon Land previously forecast that remaining closed until April 20 would cost KRW296b (US$240m) in lost revenue.