Residents of Korea’s Jeju Island Believe Casinos Should Be Better Regulated

South Korea’s foreigner-only casinos do not sit well with many of the local residents. According to a recent report, roughly half of the residents of Jeju Island believe that these properties have led to a drastic increase in crime. According to these locals, stricter regulations are needed.

The survey was conducted by representatives of the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province and inquired about the opinions of 1,000 local adults. A whopping 49.9% said that they believe the properties have led to a spike in the region’s criminal activities. In the meantime, 14.2% disagreed with that statement. The rest were neutral and did not have strong opinions on the matter.

The survey also inquired about islanders’ feelings about the casinos’ effects on the environment. More than half of the respondents (52%) said that the island’s foreigner-only casinos have a negative impact, pollute the environment and increase traffic problems. In the meantime, 13.7% disagreed with that statement.

Furthermore, 55.1% agreed that the casinos have a harmful effect on the local youth and the educational sector as a whole. However, 13.7% do not believe in a link between the educational system and the casino properties.  

The Island’s Eight Casinos Provide a Boost to the Economy

Jeju Island houses eight foreigner-only casinos. These are managed and supervised by the provincial government and have been the subject of controversies for some time. For reference, South Korea prohibits gambling but allows foreign tourists to gamble in specific areas.

In addition to the aforementioned concerns, the casinos also bring some benefits. Roughly 40% of the survey respondents admitted that the island’s eight casinos do bring in more foreigners and lead to increased tourist spending. In addition, 33.7% agreed that the casinos have created many new jobs.

Speaking of jobs, 34.2% believe that operators should create more jobs for young people, while 32.8% would like casinos to provide more financial support to the local tourism sector.

Despite the casinos’ positive effects on the local economy, 51.4% believe that stricter regulations are needed. On the contrary, 27.3% of the respondents believe that the casinos could do with some more support from the government.

For reference, this survey was the first of its kind on the island. The Jeju Island government plans to conduct it every year in order to measure public opinion on the casinos and casino regulations.