Inspire's Revenue Soars 148%... Fierce Four-Way Battle Begins in Foreigners-Only Casino Market

Casino Revenue Surges in Second Year of Operation
Strategic Partnerships and Promotions Drive Growth
Absorbing Core Customers from China, Japan, and Competitors
Dream Tower Casino Also on the Rise
Race for Second Place Intensifies

Inspire Entertainment Resort, a complex resort located in Yeongjongdo, Incheon, has entered its third year of operation and has shown remarkable growth in its core foreigners-only casino business. This is attributed to the unprecedented boom in the inbound tourism market and increased attention on latecomers, which has allowed the resort to attract a significant portion of the customer base from industry competitors. With Jeju Dream Tower Casino, which continues to post strong results based on its Chinese clientele, four operators are now set to form a competitive landscape in earnest.

Foreigners-only casino by Inspire. Provided by Inspire

According to the Financial Supervisory Service's electronic disclosure system on January 12, Inspire's casino revenue for the 2025 fiscal year (October 2024 to September 2025), its second year of operation, reached 267.2 billion won, up 147.6% from the previous year's 107.9 billion won. Compared to the non-casino sectors-hotel (56.2 billion won), food and beverage (51.7 billion won), and entertainment (32.1 billion won)-which saw year-on-year growth rates in the 20% to 40% range, the increase in casino revenue was particularly significant.

An Inspire representative explained, "The main clientele for the casino are from China and Japan. To enhance convenience for Chinese travelers, Inspire became the first domestic integrated resort to introduce a 'WeChat Mini Program' that allows guests to book amenities directly via messenger. In addition, we established strategic partnerships such as linking membership reward points with global hotel chain Hilton, which greatly improved accessibility for inbound foreign visitors." The representative also noted that as a new resort, Inspire's promotional efforts-combining accommodations and performance programs-helped generate interest and contributed to its success.

In fact, Inspire's growth rate far outpaced those of Paradise and Grand Korea Leisure (GKL), which had previously dominated the inland foreigners-only casino market, suggesting that Inspire has attracted a considerable share of their customers. Last year, Paradise and GKL posted casino revenues of 900.5 billion won and 425.3 billion won, respectively, with year-on-year growth rates of just 9.9% and 8%.

An industry insider commented, "Inspire's revenue growth rate is much higher than its competitors due to the base effect of its opening year. Nevertheless, it appears to be rapidly establishing itself in the market as a latecomer."

Jeju Dream Tower, a complex resort operated by Lotte Tour Development, has also seen a sharp increase in both visitors and revenue at its foreigners-only casino, rising to the number two position. Last year, Dream Tower Casino's revenue jumped 61.8% year-on-year to 476.6 billion won, surpassing GKL. After struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic, which coincided with its opening, the casino is now benefiting from the recovery of the inbound tourism market, including the return of Chinese group tourists. Notably, Dream Tower Casino became the first in the industry to achieve monthly revenues in the 50 billion won range for three consecutive months starting in September last year. In 2023, the casino's average monthly visitors reached 48,000, and average monthly revenue was 39.6 billion won-representing sevenfold and thirteenfold increases, respectively, compared to when it opened in 2021.

As a result, competition for the number two spot among rivals is expected to intensify this year, with Paradise maintaining its lead. An industry official observed, "The temporary visa-free policy for Chinese group tourists will continue through the first half of this year, and the steady inflow of Japanese tourists to Korea is ongoing. The key to the foreigners-only casino market will be how effectively operators attract visitors from these core customer countries."