How the Mohegan Tribe Lost a Billion-Dollar Casino in South Korea

The Mohegan Native American tribe spent $1.6 billion and almost a decade building a gambling venue near Seoul with three five-star hotels, a 15,000-seat arena and a water park so lavish that Netflix chose to film a hit dating show there.

The Inspire Entertainment Resort was Mohegan’s first casino project outside North America, one designed to tap into a lucrative market of Chinese gamblers, who spent $28 billion on games in 2024 in Macau. While that Chinese territory dominates the global gambling market, Inspire was set to become one of the largest high-end establishments of its kind in Asia. But going all-in on a casino resort in the region proved to be a risky bet for the tribe.

Less than a year after Inspire’s 2024 grand opening, a missed performance target caused Mohegan to lose control of the project. Now another investor, the private equity giant Bain Capital, rather than the tribe, holds the reins.

A South Korea casino was a gamble from the start.

Mohegan operates some of the biggest casinos in the United States. Mohegan Sun, its flagship property on the tribe’s reservation in Connecticut, is a widely recognized casino with billboards across the Northeast and a major events venue that has hosted performances by Dolly Parton, Taylor Swift and Jay-Z. The casino made the tribe $260 million last year.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/04/world/asia/mohegan-south-korea-casino-bain.html