GKL Posts Strong May Growth as Casino Sales Rise 40.8%

Grand Korea Leisure, South Korea’s foreigner-only casino operator, saw a big jump in sales for May. Revenues hit KRW43.13 billion (about $28 million), which is a 40.8% bump from the previous year and a 7.3% boost from April, according to Korea Exchange figures.

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Table Games Drive Revenue

The real boost came from table games, driving the monthly climb. A major part of that growth came from table games. Earnings shot up to KRW38.84 billion ($25.2 million), rocketing 43.3% from KRW27.11 billion ($17.6 million) in May last year, and grew nearly 5% from April too.

Machine game sales also contributed to the improved result. Machine games also contributed significantly. The revenue for machines rose to KRW4.29 billion ($2.8 million) from KRW3.53 billion ($2.3 million) a year prior. In comparison to April, machine games did even better, increasing by 35.5% from KRW3.16 billion ($2.1 million).

Five-Month Performance

For the January to May period, GKL’s cumulative casino sales reached KRW189.97 billion, or $123.4 million. That marked an 8.5% increase from KRW175.06 billion, or $113.7 million, in the same period last year.

Table game sales continued to account for most of the company’s revenue over the 5-month period. Cumulative table game sales reached KRW172.15 billion, or $111.8 million, up 7.7% year-on-year.

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Machine Game Results

Machine game sales also showed steady growth across the first 5 months of 2026. Revenue from that segment rose 17% to KRW17.83 billion, or $11.6 million, compared with KRW15.24 billion, or $9.9 million, a year earlier.

The latest results indicate that both table and machine game performance improved over the period, with table games remaining the larger contributor by a wide margin. The monthly and year-to-date gains point to a stronger run for the company compared with the same periods in 2025.

Monthly Trend Holds Firm

May’s performance added to GKL’s improved showing in the first part of the year. The company’s sales were higher both compared with April and against the same month last year, with table game activity providing most of the lift.

The filing to the Korea Exchange showed that GKL maintained upward momentum across its core casino business in May, while its cumulative figures for the year to date also remained ahead of the comparable 2025 period.

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Source: Asia Gaming Brief