The four foreigner-only casinos located in and around the South Korean capital of Seoul are reportedly set to suspend operations from the early hours of tomorrow morning owing to a recent rise in the number of locals contracting coronavirus.

According to a report from GGRAsia, the move is due to impact the Seven Luck Casino-branded venues run by Grand Korea Leisure Company Limited inside the Millennium Hilton Seoul and Intercontinental Seoul Coex hotels as well as the small casino from Paradise Company Limited situated within the nearby Grand Walkerhill Seoul. The source detailed that gambling at this latter firm’s 10.6-acre Paradise City development is to also be temporarily prohibited after the region of some 25.7 million inhabitants recorded an average of 175.1 new daily infections for the week to Saturday.

Increased precautions:

Home to over 51.7 million people, South Korea reportedly chalked up 271 new coronavirus infections yesterday alone to bring its rolling tally since the start of the year up to 31,004 for 509 deaths. Gambling operations in the Seoul metropolitan area had purportedly been operating under ‘Level 1.5’ lockdown restrictions but are to now be shuttered for an indeterminate length after the nation’s Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters decided to institute stricter ‘Level 2’ protocols.

Unwelcome return:

The four casinos in and around Seoul were reportedly subjected to these ‘Level 2’ constraints for the 28 days to October 11 before being allowed to re-open under more lenient ‘Level 1’ rules. However, they were purportedly advised to institute slightly more austere ‘Level 1.5’ precautions from last Thursday in hopes that such a move would preclude the need to move to ‘Level 2’ as the nation’s schools prepare to hold their annual College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) university entrance exams.