Interview with Choi Moon-kwon, CEO of Percent K
Development of New Casino Table Game 'Brog'
Domestic and International Sales Hindered by Failure to Register New Game
"Perception Must Change to Attract Foreigners and Contribute to Tourism Industry"
"Our government is asking the tourism industry to diversify entertainment options to attract foreign tourists, but new casino games are still confined within the frame of gambling industries and negative perceptions, making it difficult to try new things in many ways."
Choi Moon-kwon, CEO of Percent K, who developed the domestic new casino table game 'BROG' with his own ideas and research, appealed this way in an interview with Asia Economy on the 24th.
Choi Moon-kwon, CEO of Percent K, who developed the domestic new casino table game 'BROG', is explaining current issues in an interview with Asia Economy.
BROG is a game content created from the idea that Choi, who has been working as an employee at Grand Korea Leisure (GKL) since 2006, started sketching in 2017 while working in the casino industry. The name comes from the first letters of the English words for the four seasons, applied to colors: Black for winter, Red for autumn, Orange for summer, and Green for spring.
This game is based on a stepping-stone method similar to the five-stage mission passing through glass panels in Netflix's original drama "Squid Game." The game starts with the player 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 up to round 4, the player can earn 2x for winning round 2, 5x for round 3, and up to 10x for round 4. There is also an 'option' area above round 4 where bets can be placed; if all cards in one row from rounds 1 to 4 show the same suit, a 'jackpot' is triggered, awarding 60 times the bet amount.
Choi said, "BROG was born from the thought, 'Why can't we create casino games in our country?'" He recalled, "I blindly visited overseas casino game suppliers, met developers, asked for help, and received feedback."
Newly developed casino game 'BROG' table demonstrated by in-house venture 'Percent K' of Grand Korea Leisure (GKL)
BROG, which has a framework verified by the international game certification body (BMM) for payout rates and win-loss probability calculations, registered a domestic patent in February last year and is pursuing commercialization through a GKL in-house venture business contest supported by the government. To sell this game to domestic casinos, new game registration is required under the Enforcement Rules of the Tourism Promotion Act. Although the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the competent authority, included this in the legislative notice for partial amendment of the enforcement rules in October last year, BROG’s new registration was excluded during the opinion-gathering process with related organizations and ministries.
Choi added, "Although casinos have contributed a lot to the tourism industry, it is very unfortunate to see that social perception remains negative. Even if I want to promote the game to overseas casinos, I face difficulties both inside and outside because they require the status and performance of this game’s introduction in Korean casinos."
The in-house venture system, aimed at discovering commercialization ideas and creating jobs, has had this achievement, which could also generate foreign currency revenue through game sales, drifting for over a year. Choi said, "I hope an opportunity will definitely be created to expand casino customers’ choices with attractive game products and help attract foreign tourists."
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