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Jeju's Gold Mountain Casino faces 3-month suspension over alleged blackjack cheating by staff
Jeju's provincial government is weighing a 3-month suspension of the foreigner-only Gold Mountain Casino over alleged cheating of three Chinese customers at blackjack. The operator can still argue for mitigation, and prosecutors are probing the case separately.
Gold Mountain Casino, a foreigner-only venue on South Korea's Jeju island, could have its gaming operations suspended for three months within days, according to information the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Government gave to GGRAsia. The proposed penalty follows an investigation into claims that some staff cheated customers during blackjack games.
The case involves three Chinese customers who allegedly lost about KRW100 million, equivalent to US$75,531 at the rate cited in the report, during games on June 7 and 8. Early reports had put the alleged losses at KRW80 million. The infringement under consideration concerns the use of altered gaming equipment, a category that carries an administrative penalty capable of interrupting a casino's operations.
For a first infringement of this kind, the prescribed sanction is a three-month suspension. A Jeju official said the provincial authority is still reviewing the operator's representations and that the suspension could be shortened if mitigating circumstances are established. The province cannot extend the suspension beyond three months for a first offence, though a second regulatory violation can lead to revocation of the casino's licence.
The matter was also referred to prosecutors in Jeju on September 11, and they are conducting a separate criminal investigation. The official said the regulatory sanction is independent of that process and does not depend on its completion or on any later court ruling. The province is handling the administrative review through its own procedures.
Gold Mountain Casino previously operated as Megaluck Casino under Hong Kong-listed New Silkroad Culturaltainment Ltd. It was sold to local company Geumsan Co Ltd in 2024, according to industry data published in May by South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, which holds overall responsibility for the country's casino sector. Jeju has exercised certain elements of regulatory control over the island's foreigner-only casinos since 2009, and the provincial government oversees their licensing.
Based on reporting by igamingtoday.