Caesars and Mohegan Face Delays in Korean IR Projects

Caesars Entertainment Corp and Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment are facing significant delays in their Korean integrated resort projects due to the financing concerns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to South Korean news outlets, Caesars Korea – part of the expansive project called Midan City in Yeongjong Island – and Mohegan’s Inspire are having trouble securing the final capital needed to complete their projects.

The future of Caesars Korea has been in some doubt over the past year following the merger between Caesars Entertainment Corp and Eldorado Resorts, with Eldorado CEO Tom Reeg – now CEO of the merged Caesars entity – stating in June 2019 that the company’s international expansion opportunity would “have to be stupendous for us to be running in that direction.”

The company subsequently stated in August 2019 that it was capping the amount of additional cash it was willing to directly invest into Caesars Korea at US$60 million – having already contributed US$80 million to the US$700 million project – with the remainder to be provided by outside financing. However, the company has spoken little publicly about its Korea project since the US$17.3 billion merger with Eldorado was completed in June of this year.

Mohegan Gaming CEO Mario Kontomerkos stated as recently as July that his company’s Inspire Korea project remained on track for a 2022 launch, adding that Mohegan remained fully committed to its international expansion efforts.

“The pandemic has shown us that diversification into the international arena is important for our ability to stand for those generations, and so the project in South Korea, called Inspire, remains on track for launch in 2022,” he said.