Suicide Casinos
The popularity of gambling has increased since Korea's first local casino was introduced in 2000. Thousands of visitors arrive at the Kangwon Land each day. By visiting the casino, people have begun to crave gambling more and more. Accordingly, the gambling addiction rate is on the rise, creating a large number of gambling addict suicides. On Christmas day, a 54-year-old woman died after jumping from the fourth floor of the hotel cafeteria in Kangwon Land. This gambling-related suicide is one of many in Korea. Earlier this month, a 51-year-old man also took his life at the same casino. His suicide note stated that he had lost all of his money from gambling. An estimated 17 gamblers have committed suicide since the casino opened.
Kangwon Land has made a number of efforts to control gambling addiction. Regular casino visitors may not visit the casino more that 20 times a month, while VIP players may only enter 25 times a month. By doing this, Kangwon Land is attempting to reduce the harmful effects of gambling. However, many addictive gamblers have ignored these rules and visit the casino more than 20 days a month. A compulsive gambling prevention center has also been erected by the casino in order to try stop people from becoming addicted to gambling.
