South Korean Casino Operator Seeks to Attract Chinese Clients with Chelsea’s Mourinho’s Help

In a bid to lure gambling punters from China, South Korean casino operator Paradise Co. hires Chelsea football manage Jose Mourino for its new advertising campaign.

Also in the South Korean gambling news, the casino giants Paradise are also joining forces with Japan’s Sega Sammy Holdings Inc. to build a brand new casino complex in Incheon.

Unlike some of its neighboring Asian countries, South Korean gambling laws are rather relaxed by comparison, although only one of the existing 17 casinos allows locals to gamble in, the rest are exclusively for foreigners.

But the new casino faces stiff competition from operators like Genting Singapore PLC and Caesars Entertainment Corp, all of whom are building their own casino resorts in the country.

Paradise Co. brings in Chelsea Manager to pull in Chinese casino punters

By bringing in Jose Mourinho, known for his accomplishments with Chelsea and his UEFA Champions League titles, to kick goals for the casino, the group hope to pull in Chinese customers.

The resort is expected to reel in 160,000 visitors per day, two thirds of which are Chinese, and due to the growing interest in football in China, Paradise believe that Mourinho was a good bet to make.

South Korea has been seeing a gaming boom since 2013, totaling $2.7 billion last year, coming in higher than the Philippines, but still behind Macau and Singapore.

However, while South Korea might be slightly behind its neighbors, if it could pull in the Chinese clientele, it could very well become a rival.