South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is investigating allegations that Grand Korea Leisure overstated visitor numbers at its foreigner-only Seven Luck casinos.
The inquiry concerns approximately 395,000 customers recorded manually by employees during 2025, according to internal data reported by Yonhap News. GKL has said the allegations have not been established and that it is cooperating with the ministry’s request for information.
Of the 1,117,165 visitors GKL reported for 2025, 721,817 entered using membership cards, creating automated records through card readers. The remaining 395,348, or 35.4%, were classified as “no-name” customers who presented passports without registering as members and were entered into the system by staff.
The allegations suggest that some non-existent visitors may have been included through this manual process. However, neither the ministry nor the Board of Audit and Inspection has announced a finding that the figures were falsified.
The Board reportedly conducted an on-site examination in June after receiving a complaint and subsequently referred the matter to the ministry, which has requested supporting data from GKL.
Internal figures cited by Yonhap show the proportion of no-name visitors rising from 25.2% in 2023 to 32% in 2024 and 35.4% in 2025. GKL’s anti-money laundering procedures require customers undertaking activities including purchasing chips at tables, cashing chips or exchanging foreign currency to register and complete verification.
Visitor numbers are used as a quantitative measure in government evaluations of GKL, which is a state-owned enterprise. Separate internal data reportedly showed that its monthly visitor-target achievement rate fell from 91.6% in June to 69.1% in July and the low-60% range in August.
The ministry said it would establish the facts using all available methods and take any necessary measures based on its findings.
The investigation comes during a period of operational investment and revenue growth for GKL. The company recently extended the lease for its Seven Luck Gangnam Coex casino through October 2035 and approved a KRW60-per-share interim dividend. It has also recruited 58 employees following almost 1,500 applications, while July casino revenue increased 6.9% year on year to KRW41.6bn.
GKL is the only public enterprise among South Korea’s foreigner-only casino operators
