Paradise, GKL September casino sales rise y-o-y, Lotte Tour down 45pct

South Korean foreigner-only casino operators Paradise Co Ltd and Grand Korea Leisure Co Ltd (GKL) reported year-on-year increases in casino sales for September, while Lotte Tour Development Co Ltd recorded a sharp decline, according to separate filings to the Korea Exchange. All three companies reported growth in aggregate casino sales for the first nine months of 2026. Paradise Co’s September casino sales rose 38.2 percent year-on-year, to KRW86.73 billion (US$64.0 million). GKL’s sales increased by 7.2 percent, to just under KRW37.28 billion, while Lotte Tour’s tally fell 45.1 percent, to KRW29.09 billion. Judged sequentially, Paradise Co’s September sales declined 16.8 percent and Lotte Tour’s fell 37.7 percent. GKL recorded a 19.8-percent increase from August. Paradise Co’s table-game sales in September reached nearly KRW81.08 billion, up 40.4 percent from a year earlier. Machine-game sales grew 12.6 percent, to KRW5.65 billion. The company’s September table drop – the amount exchanged by customers for chips at gaming tables – rose 6.6 percent year-on-year, to KRW605.11 billion. In the nine months to September 30, Paradise Co’s aggregate casino sales reached KRW744.59 billion, a 10.8-percent increase from the prior-year period. The firm’s table drop for the first nine months stood at nearly KRW5.77 trillion, up 8.1 percent from a year earlier. Paradise Co’s figures cover its four casinos: Walkerhill in Seoul; properties in Busan and Jeju; and Paradise City in Incheon. The latter is a venture with a unit of Japan’s Sega Sammy Holdings Inc. Meanwhile, GKL’s September table-game sales rose 8.4 percent year-on-year, to just below KRW34.01 billion. Machine-game sales declined 4.5 percent, to KRW3.27 billion. The company reported September casino drop of KRW323.72 billion, up 2.4 percent from a year earlier. GKL’s aggregate casino sales for the first nine months of 2026 reached KRW337.24 billion, a 5.8-percent year-on-year increase. Casino drop for the nine-month period increased 9.5 percent, to nearly KRW2.97 trillion. GKL runs three foreigner-only casinos under the Seven Luck brand: two in Seoul and one in Busan. Lotte Tour, promoter of the Jeju Dream Tower casino resort on the South Korean holiday island of Jeju, reported September table-game sales of KRW25.78 billion, down 49.6 percent year-on-year. Machine-game sales increased 80.6 percent, to KRW3.31 billion. The company’s September table drop fell 10.5 percent from a year earlier, to KRW237.82 billion. Despite September’s decline, Lotte Tour’s casino sales for the first nine months this year rose 17.7 percent year-on-year, to KRW393.08 billion. The firm’s nine-month table drop reached nearly KRW1.96 trillion, up 10.1 percent from the prior-year period. The companies’ reported casino sales are calculated on the basis of net revenue after deductions from gross gaming revenue, including commissions paid to agents. No commentary was provided by these firms on the reasons for the respective year-on-year changes.