Mohegan Inspire applies for gaming permit, to wait two months for approval

The Mohegan Inspire Entertainment Resort, which just opened in South Korea, submitted an official application last week for a gaming license.

The approval process is expected to take around two months, and it is planned to be granted between February 2 and February 8, 2024, just before the nation’s Lunar New Year holidays. This information was provided by an official from the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, which oversees the casino business, in response to a phone call from GGRAsia.

The same source claims that the agency is trying to hasten the issuance of the gaming license for Inspire’s casino which is exclusive to foreigners. The government also hopes to soon have the hotel facilities within the site awarded a five-star rating. Inspire’s property president, Chen Si, had previously informed GGRAsia that obtaining gaming licensing required obtaining this hotel certification.

The Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority, a.k.a. Mohegan Gaming, promoted the resort and had a soft opening for its non-gaming offerings on November 30. This included 1,275 hotel rooms. Ten restaurants and a 15,000-seat stadium are features of the resort, which is close to Incheon International Airport. Early in 2024 is when the MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions) event area is scheduled to open.

The star rating for Inspire is still being handled, as confirmed to GGRAsia on Tuesday by the Korea Tourism Association, a distinct entity from the Korea Tourism Organization. A spokesperson of the group mentioned efforts to reduce the length of time required for hotel grading and casino license issuance to 150 days. It may take up to 90 days to grade a hotel, and up to 60 days to license a casino. The tactic has been to make it possible for the project promoter to submit both applications simultaneously as opposed to consecutively. The information’s source asked to remain anonymous.

Original story by: GGRAsia