오늘 Yahoo News 에 실린 기사로써, 필립핀의 한 재벌이 인천 앞바다에 위치한 실미도와 그 인근 무이島에 설정된 "Incheon Free Economic Zone", "인천자유경제구역"의 98%을 사서 국제도박장과 유흥시설을 설치할 계획이랍니다.
지난 10여년 동안에 중국의 '마카오'가 동양의 도박장으로 이름을 날렸었으나, 최근 들어서서 중국당국이 공산당과 그 끄나풀들의 놀이터로서 엄청난 부정부패를 부채질했던 비리와 비행을 단속하고 나섰던 바, 작년부터 그 명성이 퇴색하게 됐었다고.
한편, 중국사람들이 작년 한해에 한국으로 6.1 백만명의 관광객이 몰리다보니, 전년에 비해 42%의 증가추세를 보였다는 겁니다. 마카오로 갈 돈이 인천으로 몰릴 것은 당연지사라는 얘긴데... 이 통에 도박 좋아하는 한국사람들도 好아, 好아. 여자와 남자가 붙으면 좋겠다만, 필립핀과 한국 그리고 중국사람이 맞붙으면 "띵 호아"가 돼야 하겠지비.
禪涅槃
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<Philippine Billionaire Razon to Buy Korean Island in Casino Push>
by Norman P Aquino 12:03 AM PDT March 17, 2015
(Bloomberg) -- Philippine billionaire Enrique Razon will buy an island in South Korea to develop a leisure and tourism complex, as he taps the country’s growth in gambling on rising tourist arrivals from China.
Bloomberry Resorts Corp., controlled by Razon and operator of a casino in Manila, will buy the 21-hectare (52-acre) Silmi Island through unit Solaire Korea Co., according to a Philippine Stock Exchange filing on Tuesday. It’s Bloomberry’s second announcement of a property purchase in the country this year after the company signed in January four deals with landowners on Korea’s Muui Island, which is adjacent to Silmi Island.
Asian casino operators including Bloomberry are capitalizing on a downturn in the gambling industry of Macau as China’s corruption crackdown scares many away from the world’s biggest gambling hub. Macau casino revenue fell last year for the first time and may decline another 8 percent this year, according to analysts surveyed by Bloomberg.
In contrast, gambling revenue in South Korea and the Philippines will grow 16 percent and 33 percent respectively this year, gaining from the spillover of Chinese gamblers, Deutsche Bank analyst Karen Tang wrote in a note in January.
About 6.1 million mainland travelers went to South Korea last year, an increase of 42 percent, according to data from the Korea Tourism Organization.
Solaire Korea also signed a deal with shareholders of Golden & Luxury Co. to buy as much as 92 percent of the company, which owns and operates T.H.E. Hotel & Vegas Casino on Korea’s Jeju Island, Bloomberry said in a separate statement on Tuesday. “We are excited at the prospect of Solaire setting up a base in Korea,” Razon said in the statement. “This is our first venture outside of the Philippines, and the possibilities for expansion in this country are promising.”
Bloomberry rose 0.8 percent to 10.64 pesos as of 2:55 p.m. in Manila trading after gaining as much as 2.3 percent. The Philippine Stock Exchange Index advanced 0.6 percent.
The company said Silmi Island is adjacent to the 12.2-hectare property that it agreed to buy on Muui Island, and both are within the Incheon Free Economic Zone. Bloomberry will disclose details of the transactions when certain conditions are met, it said. The company on Jan. 27 said it will develop the land on Muui into a leisure and tourism complex.
To contact the reporter on this story: Norman P. Aquino in Manila at naquino1@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Stephanie Wong at swong139@bloomberg.net Subramaniam Sharma