I drove a long way, convinced that my favorite slot machine was due for a jackpot. But when I arrived at Kangwon Land, I found out it had already hit. Sometimes it was a few hours ago, sometimes the day before. It felt like a waste to just turn around and go home after coming all this way.
What if I had known before I left? That was the motivation for the creator of 'Jabsuda,' known among Kangwon Land customers as 'Director Ddaeng,' to build the app. He wanted a window to check when a jackpot last hit on his favorite machines. The records on the app are simply past winning news; they cannot predict the next winning time or probability.
◇ Information I needed, which the person next to me was also looking for
Director Ddaeng, who started visiting Kangwon Land to enjoy skiing, began developing the app in his fifth year of visiting the casino. He visits the casino over 140 days a year and says he spent his time between games meeting people and listening to their stories. As he became a familiar face, he learned what information regulars were looking for and where they felt inconvenienced.
He worked with two others, including a development expert, for about a year and launched the Jabsuda service on April 2, 2024. In just 2 years and 7 months, the number of registered members has grown to over 27,000. Members on-site post jackpot news and wait times for tables themselves. This is why some members who visit Kangwon Land multiple times a month compare Jabsuda to a 'navigation system.'
Customer complaints posted on the bulletin board have even reached the company. A post titled 'Hopes for the New President' was uploaded to coincide with CEO Kim Do-kyun's inauguration on September 2. According to Tatata Journal's coverage, the management team acknowledged some of the points raised and expressed their intention to make necessary improvements.
◇ 780,000 KRW donated after a 98 million KRW jackpot
Not long after the service started, a member who won a 98 million KRW jackpot sent about 780,000 KRW, claiming it was 1% of their net winnings after taxes. According to Director Ddaeng, that was the first and only donation received following a jackpot win to date.
As the number of members grew, rumors spread that he was making a lot of money from the app. Director Ddaeng estimated that if he had outsourced it, development would have cost about 40 million KRW, with monthly operating costs of over 3 million KRW. By participating in the development himself, he spent about 8 million KRW on initial design and development. While he plans to cover operating costs through voluntary donations in the future, he explains that current donations fall short of the actual operating expenses.
◇ “Watching Jabsuda is my joy”… Thousands of members haven't logged in for months
It’s not just jackpot news that members wait for on Jabsuda. One member who felt lonely visiting Kangwon Land alone said that since Jabsuda appeared, reading game reviews has become a source of fun. “I used to watch YouTube, but now I only look at Jabsuda for information, and the game reviews are fun too. Watching Jabsuda is my joy.” Some members expressed gratitude that it is free to use.
On the other hand, Director Ddaeng noted that thousands of members haven't logged into Jabsuda even once in the last few months. He speculated that some may have applied for self-exclusion, received a ban, decided to quit the casino, or stopped visiting due to losses. The specific reasons for individual members stopping their access remain unknown.
In the update on the 2nd, he added the ability to reply to sub-comments. He also created a 'Praise Corner' to compliment customers, staff, and local merchants in Gohan and Sabuk, as well as an arcade section where users can play games like Number Baseball and Match-the-Pairs for free.
“I created this app to share the information I needed with my fellow gamers,” said Director Ddaeng. “I find it rewarding that people now open Jabsuda to check table wait times or to share stories about their solo trips.”
