In South Korea and the operator behind the Kangwon Land Casino has reportedly announced that the facility has postponed its planned full re-opening following a recent spike in local coronavirus infections.

According to reports from Inside Asian Gaming and GGRAsia, the revelation from Kangwon Land Incorporated came after South Korea recorded its biggest daily increase in coronavirus cases since April 8 on Tuesday as some 40 people were diagnosed with having contracted the potentially lethal ailment.

Coronavirus closure:

GGRAsia reported that Kangwon Land Casino is the only casino in South Korea that allows locals to gamble alongside foreign tourists but it was temporarily shuttered on February 23 as the nation’s coronavirus infection tally hit 602. However, the venue located in rural Gangwon Province approximately 93 miles from Seoul was purportedly allowed to re-open its VIP gaming floor from May 8 as the previous week had seen only 48 new cases of the highly-contagious illness.

Decisive delay:

For its part and Inside Asian Gaming reported that Kangwon Land Incorporated was reportedly later given permission to conduct a phased full re-opening of the 674-room development beginning from earlier today that was to have included reviving its mass-market gaming floor. But the source detailed that this ‘pilot operation’ has now been suspended for at least a few weeks with Kangwon Land Incorporated set to rely on government advice before proceeding further.

Deteriorating development:

Kangwon Land Incorporated is majority owned by various government authorities and earlier reportedly divulged that the temporary coronavirus-related closure of its only casino would likely cost it approximately $218.6 million in lost revenues. More recently and the firm purportedly declared that it had recorded a $126.25 million net loss for the three months to the end of March after recording a first-quarter profit last year of just over $82.82 million.