Casino also joins 'K-Content'... "Domestically Developed Table Game Released"

GKL In-house Venture 'Percent K' Blog Demonstration

Similar to Squid Game's 'Stepping Stone' Mission and Method
Probability Verified and Patented but Unable to Register under Tourism Promotion Act
"Need for Gambling Industry Image Improvement and Credibility Verification"

In the casino industry, where foreign games such as Baccarat, Texas Hold'em, and Blackjack dominate, a domestically conceived and self-developed table game has emerged. The new casino game content 'BROG,' developed by Grand Korea Leisure (GKL) employees through an in-house venture system, is the protagonist. If new games are introduced to domestic and international casino venues, foreign currency earnings can be expected through royalties based on intellectual property rights. The industry is paying attention to whether this can be utilized as 'K-tourism content' that provides sightseeing and entertainment for inbound tourists, in line with the Yoon Seok-yeol administration's 'domestic demand revitalization measures,' which aim to attract 10 million foreign tourists after COVID-19.

Choi Moon-kwon, CEO of Percent K, an in-house venture of Grand Korea Leisure (GKL) (center), is introducing the newly developed casino table game "BROG" to table machine managers and policy officers of casino companies in the Jeju area.

According to the casino industry on the 24th, BROG, independently developed by GKL's in-house venture 'Percent K,' is currently a table-based card game service that has received a patent and is attracting domestic clients to introduce it. On the 20th, a game demonstration was held at the Jeju branch of the Korea Casino Industry Tourism Association for GKL executives and employees, foreign casino operators in Jeju, table game managers, and policy officials.

The game proceeds in a stepping-stone style, similar to the five-stage mission of crossing glass panels in Netflix's original drama 'Squid Game.' The game starts with players predicting which side of the divided zones will win from rounds 1 to 4, choosing one side, and betting the same amount. Among the four suits depicted on the cards?spades, diamonds, hearts, and clubs?the ranking is determined in that order. If the card on the side the player bet on in round 1 is higher, the player receives 1x the bet amount. By flipping cards through four rounds, players can earn 2x for winning round 2, 5x for round 3, and up to 10x for round 4. Betting is also possible on the 'option' area above round 4, where if all cards in one row from rounds 1 to 4 are the same suit, players can expect a 'jackpot' paying 60 times the bet amount.

Choi Moon-kwon, CEO of Percent K, said, "After years of research to complete the game, we were concerned about how to introduce this method, but with the hit of Squid Game, we judged that explaining it by analogy to stepping stones would be appropriate. Most people understand the rules within one minute, which helps stimulate participants' interest."

CEO Choi joined GKL in 2006 and worked continuously in the machine team. Meeting foreign tourists on-site, he often heard opinions that existing casino games have "rules that are too difficult" or that beginners feel "uncomfortable because they have to watch others' reactions." Noting the absence of casino games developed from domestic ideas, he jumped into developing BROG and completed its framework in 2021. He also personally researched the payout rates and win-loss probabilities, considered the most difficult process in creating casino games, and passed the mathematical evaluation certification from the international game certification body BMM.

The newly developed casino game 'BROG' table demonstrated by Percent K, an in-house venture of Grand Korea Leisure (GKL)

CEO Choi, along with two other GKL employees, Kim Seon-wook and Shim Jae-min, is promoting the commercialization of BROG through GKL's in-house venture. The in-house venture system is a government project expanded to all public institutions since 2017. It aims to discover commercialization ideas from related organizations and create social value such as job creation and mutual growth.

However, for the new game to be introduced to domestic casino venues and achieve success overseas, it must first overcome the domestic legal hurdles. Among the 'Tourism Promotion Act Enforcement Rules,' which include types of casino business operations such as table games, electronic table games, and machine games, procedures must be followed to add BROG as a new category. Currently, only Jeju Province, which has amended its special autonomous district ordinance to allow the introduction of new casino games, can sell this game to casinos within the region. The inland market, which is much larger, is subject to the Tourism Promotion Act, so BROG cannot be demonstrated or promoted there. CEO Choi pointed out, "To target overseas markets that place importance on domestic market interest and game sales performance, verification in the 'home market' must precede."

A tourism industry official said, "The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the main ministry in charge, has reviewed related procedures such as gathering opinions from the Legislation Office to coordinate this issue, but progress has been slow." He added, "The prevailing domestic and international perception that casinos are more of a gambling industry than a tourism industry makes it inevitable to approach the amendment of enforcement rules conservatively, which is an obstacle." He also advised, "Even payout rates and win-loss calculations certified by overseas institutions seem to lack credibility from the perspective of related ministries. It is necessary to select domestic accredited institutions or expert groups to enhance persuasiveness."