Jeju Dream Tower gambles on ‘Korean lifestyle’

Korea’s Lotte Tour is building a US$1.4 billion iconic urban integrated resort highlighting “modern Korean lifestyle” on Jeju island, just 10 minutes from the airport, offering visa-free entry for mainland Chinese. The trick is to get Jeju’s vast majority of Korean visitors, barred from the casino, to become customers of the 38 story twin towers featuring Asia’s largest Grand Hyatt and Korea’s largest pool deck.

Totally globalized native New Yorker and former broadcast news producer Muhammad Cohen is a blogger for Forbes, editor at large for Inside Asian Gaming and author of Hong Kong On Air, a novel set in his adopted hometown during the 1997 handover about television news, love, betrayal, high finance, and cheap lingerie. See his bio, online archive and more at www.muhammadcohen.com; follow him on Facebook and Twitter @MuhammadCohen.

Genting Singapore switches casino bet to Japan from Korea

Resort World Sentosa owner Genting Singapore sells its half of a South Korea integrated resort to gamble on Japan casino legalization, which has made unprecedented progress since Genting’s announcement.

Totally globalized native New Yorker and former broadcast news producer Muhammad Cohen is a blogger for Forbes, editor at large for Inside Asian Gaming and author of Hong Kong On Air, a novel set in his adopted hometown during the 1997 handover about television news, love, betrayal, high finance, and cheap lingerie. See his bio, online archive and more at www.muhammadcohen.com; follow him on Facebook and Twitter @MuhammadCohen.

Casino fever cools in Korea

After 34 initial expressions of interest in June, only six bidders stepped up for South Korea’s two gaming license, and just two of these made the required $50 million deposit with their applications. Diminished enthusiasm may change the focus for gaming investment from Incheon, near Seoul, to Jeju Island, off the country’s southern coast.

Totally globalized native New Yorker and former broadcast news producer Muhammad Cohen is a blogger for Forbes and author of Hong Kong On Air, a novel set in his adopted hometown during the 1997 handover about television news, love, betrayal, high finance, and cheap lingerie. See his bio, online archive and more at www.muhammadcohen.com; follow him on Facebook and Twitter @MuhammadCohen.

Macau leads gaming’s Asia Top 50, but new names on list prosper elsewhere

Despite the yearlong slump in the world’s gaming capital, Macau still dominates Inside Asian Gaming’s Asian Top 50 at the front end, with eight out of the first nine and 11 of the first 13 names on the 2015 list. But all five of the list’s newcomers are making their bones beyond Macau.

Totally globalized native New Yorker and former broadcast news producer Muhammad Cohen is a blogger for Forbes and author of Hong Kong On Air, a novel set in his adopted hometown during the 1997 handover about television news, love, betrayal, high finance, and cheap lingerie. See his bio, online archive and more at www.muhammadcohen.com; follow him on Facebook and Twitter @MuhammadCohen.