GKL Posts 17% February Casino Sales Rise on Strong Table and Machine Play
Grand Korea Leisure filed February casino sales of KRW 38.08 billion (US$25.8 million) with the Korea Exchange, 17.3% above the same month last year and 4.0% ahead of January. The state-controlled operator runs three foreigner-only Seven Luck casinos in Seoul and Busan.
Table games generated just over KRW 34.75 billion. That is 15.9% higher than last year and 5.0% above January. Machine revenue moved in two directions. It rose 35% year-on-year to KRW 3.32 billion, but fell 5.4% compared to January. This suggests January was unusually strong, rather than February being weak.
A key data point from the report: total casino drop across the three properties reached KRW 285.70 billion. That is 9.4% higher than last year, but 6.6% lower than January. Revenue increased at a faster rate than the drop. This usually points to a stronger hold during the month, rather than growth driven only by higher volume.
By the end of February, GKL’s cumulative sales reached KRW 74.67 billion (US$50.6 million). That puts the operator 11.8% ahead of the same point in 2025. This early pace matters, as GKL is targeting KRW 503.8 billion in casino revenue by 2030, and the summer period in South Korea is typically slower.
For operators, the detail that matters here is the gap between drop and revenue growth. When revenue rises faster than drop, it points to a stronger hold rather than pure traffic gains. That can support margins in the short term, but it is not always stable month to month. The next filings will show if this holds or normalises, especially as seasonal demand shifts.
TGJ Take
South Korea’s foreign-only segment is in a solid position going into the spring travel period. The 35% year-on-year increase in machine revenue is the figure suppliers should focus on, as electronic gaming continues to take a larger share in Asia. For operators comparing performance with GKL, the real test comes after Golden Week, when tourist traffic usually slows. The March filing will show if February reflects a trend or a one-off result.
