INSPIRE expands with 70-table poker room ahead of WPT Seoul
South Korea’s foreigner-only casino INSPIRE Entertainment Resort has expanded its entertainment offering. The project includes a new integrated entertainment zone and a 70-table poker room. The expansion coincides with the debut of the World Poker Tour (WPT) Seoul at INSPIRE through licensed partner Khartes. The event adds another important stop on the international poker tournament circuit in South Korea.
The new poker room will be housed within the newly launched YY Poker Club. In addition to tournament tables, the venue will feature a dedicated broadcast studio to support live streaming and content production.
The entertainment complex will also feature the upscale Daia VIP Lounge. Together, these venues broaden the resort’s entertainment portfolio and encourage visitors to stay longer and spend more.
INSPIRE currently offers 1,275 hotel rooms and a 15,000-seat multipurpose arena. Adding an internationally recognised poker tour further enhanses the resort’s mix of entertainment attractions.
For INSPIRE, hosting the World Poker Tour represents more than adding another tournament. It also reinforces the resort’s strategy of developing its non-gaming entertainment offering. Across Asia, integrated resorts increasingly rely on concerts, esports, sporting events and poker tournaments. These attractions draw overseas visitors and increase spending on hotels, dining, retail and entertainment. For INSPIRE, which is still building its brand, international events also play an important role in raising its global profile.
Major poker tours become a new field for Asian integrated resorts
International poker brands have continued expanding across Asia, increasing their presence in South Korea, Vietnam, the Philippines, Cambodia and other regional markets.
For integrated resorts, hosting large-scale poker tournaments has become about more than gaming. Such events are increasingly viewed as an effective way to attract high-spending international visitors while supporting hotel occupancy, food and beverage, entertainment, and retail revenue.
With MGM Osaka expected to open around 2030, integrated resorts across Asia are continuing to strengthen their competitive positioning through differentiated entertainment offerings.
INSPIRE’s decision to host WPT Seoul reflects South Korea’s broader ambition to reinforce its appeal as a destination for international entertainment tourism through globally recognised events.
Proposed tourism levy reforms add pressure on casino operators
While INSPIRE continues expanding its entertainment investment, South Korea’s casino industry is also facing new policy challenges.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is conducting the first comprehensive review in three decades of the Tourism Promotion and Development Fund system. Under the proposal, the government would raise the statutory maximum contribution for foreigner-only casinos from 10 per cent to 15 per cent of gaming revenue.
Recent financial results illustrate the pressure already facing some operators. INSPIRE posted a loss of KRW154.8 billion (approximately $105 million) last year but was still required to contribute around KRW28 billion (approximately $18.9 million) to the Tourism Promotion and Development Fund.
The Korea Casino Association argues that the proposed changes could place additional pressure on operators still in their investment phase. It argued that the policy creates a contradiction by restricting gaming while requiring operators to contribute more towards tourism development.
For INSPIRE, which is still in its investment phase, fixed operating costs are already higher than those of more established competitors. A higher levy could further reduce profitability and extend the time required to recover its investment.
Establishing a balance between increasing tourism funding and retaining the competitiveness of the casino industry is therefore expected to become one of the government’s key policy challenges.
Industry awaits final details of the reforms
Government officials and industry representatives met at the Tourism Industry Legislative Modernisation Forum on 23 July. They discussed contribution rates, licence renewals and approval requirements for major shareholder changes.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism stressed that the proposed 15 per cent figure represents only the statutory ceiling. The government will continue to set actual contribution rates through implementing regulations. As a result, foreigner-only casinos may pay different rates instead of a single uniform levy.
Despite continuing policy uncertainty, South Korea’s tourism market continues to perform strongly. International visitor arrivals exceeded 10 million during the first half of the year, and the industry expects tourism demand to continue steadily as the summer holiday season is followed by Japan’s Silver Week and China’s Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays.
Against this backdrop, INSPIRE’s decision to continue investing in entertainment facilities and launch WPT Seoul demonstrates its confidence in the long-term growth of international entertainment tourism.
If major international tournaments continue attracting overseas poker players and tourists, they could strengthen the resort’s global brand. They could also reinforce South Korea’s competitiveness in regional entertainment tourism. The final structure of the Tourism Promotion and Development Fund reforms, meanwhile, is likely to influence operators’ investment strategies over the coming years and shape South Korea’s competitive position within Asia’s integrated resort industry.
This article was first published on the Chinese SiGMA News page on 27 July 2026.
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