Tim Alper is a journalist who covers betting news and regulation for CasinoBeats. He joined the CasinoBeats team in May 2025. He reports on breaking news and developments in the world of betting, casinos, and...
Read Full BioExperts say that South Korea is missing out on a boom in Asian integrated casino-resorts, with Seoul “choosing to regulate while others take action.”
In a report from the South Korean newspaper Joongang Ilbo, experts bemoaned the fact that authorities in Singapore and Japan are now “building integrated resorts, as South Korea just continues to regulate them.”
The report’s author noted that the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) industry “has become a key pillar of Singapore’s domestic economy.”
The writer said that last year, the Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre hosted 2,200 events, attracting 1.2 million attendees, and contributing approximately KRW 2.4 trillion ($1,645,933,440) to the domestic economy.
This, the journalist added, “was made possible by the Integrated Resorts Act, implemented by the Singapore government in 2005.”
Asian Integrated Casino-Resort Boom Enters New Phase
Singapore’s “bold move” broke down regulatory barriers, “permitting domestic casinos, once considered forbidden, to operate within integrated resorts,” the reporter added.
Lee Kwan-ok, a Professor at the National University of Singapore’s Business School, said: “A second construction boom is now underway in Singapore. Large-scale investment has poured in, coinciding with the expansion of Marina Bay Sands and Changi International Airport. The government is supporting this by easing regulations.”
Lee said that examples of this include a decision to increase floor area ratios in urban areas.
In the second quarter of FY2025, the value of Singapore’s construction and real estate industries increased by more than 5%. The outlet noted that other Asian countries are looking to copy Singapore’s “successful model.”
Japan launched its own Integrated Resort Promotion Act in 2016. Tokyo is now planning to spend some 1.3 trillion yen ($8,475,846,600) to build an integrated resort in Yumeshima by 2030.
Construction on the project, located on an artificial island west of Osaka, began in April 2025.
Other Asian governments have also expressed an interest. While Thailand shelved its own integrated resort plans earlier this year, the Philippines now has eight of these complexes.
South Korea ‘Lags Far Behind’ in Sector
The reporter claimed that South Korea has many “advantages over Singapore, including a population of hundreds of millions,” as well as three major international airports.
Tourism figures have also soared in recent years, thanks to the rise of K-pop, South Korean beauty products, and Korean food. The country is also home to the world’s fourth-largest manufacturing industry, the outlet noted.
The reporter wrote: “Despite all this, South Korea lags far behind in the integrated resorts sector.”
The newspaper attributed this to conflicts of interest and the complicated layers of regulations “created by various ministries.”
The potential for success is undeniable, the reporter added, pointing to the success of the Paradise City project.
Paradise City is an integrated resort featuring a foreign passport-holder-only casino, as well as a hotel, theme park, exhibition hall, and performance space.
It is located on Yeongjong Island, in Incheon, next to the country’s largest airport. The resort employs around 130,000 people.
Singapore is a Good Model, Says Tourism Chief
Seo Won-seok, the Dean of Kyung Hee University’s College of Hotel and Tourism Studies and the President of the Korea Tourism Association, called for the government to take action.
The academic said: “For South Korea to avoid being left behind, we must use Singapore as a model. We must expedite the development of the integrated resort industry by creating new legislation and developing pilot projects.”
Footfall and revenues have increased at Paradise City in 2025. Experts say that VIP casino guests from Japan and China are spending up to 30% more than they did in previous years at Paradise and other casinos that only accept foreign passport holders.
