Paradise Casino Walkerhill

Paradise Casino Walkerhill: Korea's first casino, foreigners only

Paradise Casino Walkerhill holds a special place in Korean gambling history: it is the country's very first casino and, today, its oldest foreigners-only property⁶. While South Korea now has 16 foreigner-only casinos spread from Seoul to Jeju, Walkerhill is where it all began, and it remains the flagship of the Paradise Group, which also runs casinos in Incheon, Busan and Jeju⁶.

The casino brands itself as Korea's number one foreigner-only venue, but in sheer size the largest foreigner-only casino in the country is Paradise City near Incheon International Airport, whose floor holds 183 table games plus 289 slot machines⁷. Walkerhill's own floor is still a substantial one, staffed by professional dealers and a multi-language team used to serving an international crowd¹. Japanese, Chinese and English-speaking visitors are all regulars here, and the staff are prepared for that mix.

One thing to be clear about from the start: this is a casino for foreign nationals. Korean citizens cannot play here. If you are visiting Seoul on a tourist visa, living in the city as a foreign resident, or an overseas Korean with foreign permanent residency, this page is for you. If you are a Korean citizen, the only casino in the country open to you is Kangwon Land in Gangwon Province⁸.

Location: Grand Walkerhill Seoul hotel on the Han River

The casino sits inside the Grand Walkerhill Seoul hotel, on Walkerhill-ro in Gwangjin-gu, on a hill overlooking the Han River in the eastern part of the city⁹. The river view from the hotel is one of the property's selling points, and the casino shares it.

Being inside a five-star hotel shapes the whole experience. You walk from the hotel lobby area into the casino rather than off the street into a dedicated gaming building, and everything around you, the restaurants, bars, rooms and grounds, is part of the same complex. That makes Walkerhill an easy add-on to a Seoul trip: you can stay in the hotel itself, dine upstairs, and take the elevator down to the floor.

Gwangjin-gu is a quieter corner of Seoul than the downtown hotel districts, but it is well connected, and a taxi from central Seoul is a straightforward ride. If you are coming from Incheon International Airport, allow for the full crossing of the city.

Who can enter: foreigners aged 19 and over

Entry is limited to foreigners aged 19 or over, and you must carry your passport so staff can check both your age and your nationality⁵. There is no way around the passport requirement, so leave nothing to chance: no passport, no entry.

What you need to bring depends on who you are:

• Foreign visitors to Korea: your passport, full stop¹¹.
• Foreign residents of Korea: your passport plus your alien registration card or domestic residence report card; a certificate of alien registration facts, issued at a community center, may also be requested¹¹.
• Overseas Koreans with foreign permanent residency: your passport, your permanent resident card in any form, and a resident register abstract showing your overseas migration report. For this group, only identification documents issued within 7 days before your visit are accepted, so a resident register abstract must be fresh¹¹.

One more practical point: admission can be refused if your period of stay in Korea cannot be confirmed, so make sure your entry stamps and paperwork are in order before you go¹¹.

Games and floor: baccarat, blackjack, roulette, poker, slots and ETGs

The floor is built around baccarat, which dominates Korean foreigner-only casinos and is the main game here by a wide margin¹. Alongside it you will find blackjack, roulette and poker tables, plus a large bank of slot machines and electronic table games¹.

Paradise's table game lineup across its casinos includes baccarat, blackjack, three card poker, Caribbean stud poker, roulette, sic bo and Big Wheel, so the "other tables" at Walkerhill cover a similar spread¹³. Electronic table games, or ETGs, are video versions of the live tables: you sit at a machine terminal, place bets electronically, and a central dealer or automated system runs the game. They are popular with players who want lower minimums or a quieter seat.

If you are new to any of this, Paradise publishes a beginner's guide covering the basics of casino etiquette and play, which is worth a skim before a first visit¹¹.

Table and machine counts at a glance

Here is the current floor at a glance, as listed by the operator¹:

The baccarat share is striking: more than three quarters of the live tables. Blackjack and roulette players are well served but should expect fewer tables and possibly higher minimums than baccarat, since the casino allocates its floor to where its customers play. Independent listings put the floor at around 40 tables and roughly 80 slot machines, well below the operator's figures of 114 live tables and 121 slot machines even before the ETG terminals are counted⁶.

Opening hours: 24 hours, 365 days a year

The casino never closes: it runs 24 hours a day, every day of the year, including Korean public holidays². That is standard for Korea's foreigner-only casinos, which cater to hotel guests and travelers on their own schedules.

In practice, the floor is liveliest in the evenings and quietest in the small hours of the morning. If you want a relaxed first visit with an open seat at any table you like, a weekday morning or afternoon is the calmest time. Weekend nights are a different atmosphere: busier tables, higher energy, and more of the hotel's international guests downstairs.

What to wear and what happens at the door

There is no formal dress code, but the casino can and does refuse entry to guests wearing shorts, sweatpants or sandals⁵. Smart casual is the safe standard: trousers and a collared shirt will never be questioned, and neat jeans are fine. The same relaxed-but-tidy rule applies across Paradise's casinos, where casual attire is allowed but revealing clothing, training wear and sandals can be turned away¹⁴.

At the door, staff will check your passport, verify your age and nationality, and confirm your right to be in the country⁵. Have the document ready rather than buried in a bag. If you are signing up for membership on your first visit, the check happens at the Rewarding Desk just inside.

Money: chips, cash and exchange

There is a currency exchange counter inside the casino, so you can convert foreign cash into Korean won on the spot⁵. There is also a bar serving food and drinks on the floor⁵.

For buying chips, the practice across Paradise's casinos is straightforward: you can buy chips at any open table or at the chip exchange in the casino center, and the cashier handles credit cards and foreign currency¹⁵. Slot machines and electronic table games take Korean won cash or dedicated tickets. If you are playing the machines, insert your membership card on first use and set a four-digit password (your birthday by default) to start earning points; after that, inserting the card alone is enough¹⁴.

Plan on playing in Korean won. Bring your passport to the exchange counter, and keep some cash on hand for the machines even if you plan to buy table chips with a card.

Amenities: bar, currency exchange and hotel facilities

The casino's own conveniences are a bar, where you can take a break with food and drinks between sessions, and the currency exchange counter⁵. Beyond that, everything the Grand Walkerhill Seoul offers is on tap: restaurants, bars, lounges, spa facilities and the hotel grounds above the Han River.

Because the casino is inside the hotel, a night at Walkerhill can be as much about the stay as the play. Members get more of the hotel woven in, too: casino point members receive 15% off at DINE&DRINK outlets, 50% off the pool and sauna, and free fitness access with a pool or sauna booking⁴.

High-limit floor and recent expansion

For its biggest players, Walkerhill opened a VVIP Membership Club in September 2024, a dedicated space for top-tier customers¹. This sits at the top of a membership structure that rewards heavy play with real hotel perks.

The club side of membership climbs through tiers up to Platinum and Diamond. Platinum members receive late hotel checkout, free valet parking, access to the Platinum Lounge and VIP restaurant, a free VIP limousine, free entry to CHROMA and a CIMER spa pass; Diamond members get one-to-one VIP care in the Diamond Lounge⁴. The point side of membership works on accumulated play: 100,000 cumulative points moves you up to the next tier and 1,450,000 points to the one above, with higher tiers earning points faster¹⁶.

Other options in and around Seoul

Walkerhill is not your only option in the capital area. Its main Seoul rival is Seven Luck Casino, which runs foreigner-only casinos in hotel locations in the city, and the biggest foreigner-only casino in the country is Paradise City Casino near Incheon International Airport, with 183 table games plus 289 slot machines, if you want scale and are near the airport⁷. The Inspire Casino and Resort in Incheon is another large integrated resort option close to the airport.

For the full picture of what foreigner-only gaming looks like across the country, see casinos in South Korea, and for the wider rules that apply to visitors, gambling in South Korea as a visitor.