Taiwan will remain deeply in the heart of one person, who managed to hit the “Paradise Mega Jackpot” at Paradise Casino in Jeju. The lucky person is a 31-year old Taiwanese visitor, who will bring back home the life-changing amount of KRW966 million ($854,000). The winner’s identity is yet to be revealed, but he/ she will remain in the history as the person who hit the largest ever slot machine jackpot in Korea.
It is interesting to note that this is not the first case for this year, in which someone pockets the Mega Jackpot at Paradise Casino. On 14th May, a casino visitor won KRW580 million and only a few days later, on 29th May, another player bagged the Paradise Mega Jackpot top prize worth KRW540 million. Both wins were registered at the Paradise Casino Busan.
Speaking of the latest win, Jeju casino representatives expressed their best wishes to the player, adding that Paradise Casino brings its players luck. Initially, the casino officials planned to process the payment in cash, but due to security reasons, the money was paid via bank transfer. The amount of the paycheck after taxes and other payroll deductions was around US$600 million.
It was announced that this is the maximum amount, which a Paradise Mega Jackpot slot machine has ever reached. The lucky slot machines are exclusively operated by Paradise Co. Ltd. The machines are located in all 4 Paradise Casino-owned gambling venues headquartered in Incheon, Seoul, Busan and Jeju. All the Paradise Mega Jackpot slot machines are connected via wide bandwidth data transmission. The linked slot machines, also known as progressive “jackpot”, offer higher cash prizes as they collectively and cumulatively contribute to the amount of the jackpot.
Brief Notes on Korea Gambling Law
Unfortunately, Paradise Casino does not allow local players, but only foreigners to enter the casino floor. Long story in short, under the country’s legal framework, Korean players are allowed to enter only one particular casino and that is Kangwon Land in Gangwon Province. The authorities prohibited casino operators to target local players, explaining that this might cause a number of social ills and gambling problems. In that stream of thoughts, South Korea casino licensees were allowed to accept only foreign players, aiming to contribute to the country’s image as a tourist destination.
As aforementioned, this is the third case only for this year, in which a foreign visitor pockets a mammoth amount at Paradise Casino. Some industry experts consider that such cases may change the officials’ opinion on the matter and lift the casino ban for locals. This may sound like a way too optimistic view, but it seems that the leading tendency is that more countries are regulating their gambling market or at least relaxing the restrictions.
