US-based casino operator Mohegan Gaming and Entertainment, known better as Mohegan Sun, began putting its plan in place for a large integrated resort (IR) in South Korea a few years ago. Inspire would be a massive, multibillion-dollar project that would attract more traffic for Incheon, and the initial phase was expected to open sometime next year. As with virtually all large construction projects, that goal had to be pushed back to 2022 as the complexity of the development proved to be enormous. However, if there were any concerns that the coronavirus pandemic could delay the IR’s timetable once again, Mohegan Sun is confident it will be able to open as planned.
The first phase of the project is expected to include a foreigners-only casino, a five-star hotel, an arena with seats for 15,000 attendees, conference centers and more. Mohegan Sun estimates it will cost around $1.29 billion, give or take a couple hundred thousand as construction progresses. In speaking with GGRAsia, the company still expects to meet its 2022 goal, and currently doesn’t foresee any additional schedule changes. According to comments made to the news outlet by the company’s CEO, Mario Kontomerkos, “Regarding Inspire, work continues and we are working toward our 2022 goal.”
That first phase will give gamblers around 700 slot machines and 160 table games to choose from, but more could come later. The entire project, which is expected to cost around $5 billion by the time it’s complete, will include a total of four phases and the last is currently scheduled to open sometime in 2031.
Kontomerkos has previously said of the bold IR plan, “Inspire will be unlike any other integrated resort in Asia and the reason for that in addition to the typical amenities that you will see in an integrated resort, we are also going to integrate seamlessly into this resort a 15,000-seat arena that will bring Western concert entertainment as well as Korean and other Asian concert entertainment. We will be bringing Digital Street, which will be a great showcase for local Korean food, retail and technological talent and finally we will have a theme park that will be unlike any other in Asia.”
To help manage the construction of the massive property, and oversee it once it starts to operate, Mohegan Sun has turned to a local company for assistance. While gaming operations will be under the control of the casino operator, virtually everything else is being managed by Hanwha Corp., a large South Korean conglomerate. The two signed an agreement last December to allow Hanwha to direct the construction of the IR.
Update: This article previously noted that Hanwha would also oversee hotel and resort operations, marketing and human resources efforts for Inspire. Inspire Korea has contacted us with the following clarifcation:
“INSPIRE has taken a strategic step forward in engaging with its local business partners, to form a co-development alliance for the project. INSPIRE has aligned with Korea’s leading construction company, Hanwha Engineering & Construction, to be the primary contractor for the project which is set to open in June 2022, with its sister company, Hanwha Hotels & Resorts, a leader in the Korea hospitality industry, joining the partnership to manage INSPIRE’s hotel properties operation.”
