Corporate
Korea's GKL Took More Money in August and Kept Less of It
Casino revenue fell 11.3% year on year. The drop, which is what customers actually handed over, rose 7.2%. The whole decline is hold, not demand.
Sovereign state
Asia
ISO KR
Review due
South Korea: gambling regulation and licensing
Republic of Korea
- Online casinoProhibited
- Online pokerProhibited
- Online sports bettingMonopoly
- Horse race bettingMonopoly
- iLotteryMonopoly
- Land-based (reference)Regulated
- Regulator
- National Gambling Control Commission
- Headline tax
- Not yet verified
- Licence required
- Yes
- Last verified
- 30 Aug 2026
Summary
South Korea prohibits gambling for its own citizens and then licenses a small number of state channels out of that prohibition. Articles 246 to 249 of the Criminal Act criminalise gambling, habitual gambling and setting up a place for gambling, and players as well as operators are exposed. The National Gambling Control Commission, established on 17 September 2007 under Act No. 8279 and sitting under the Prime Minister, supervises six statutory sectors: casinos, horse racing, bicycle and motorboat racing, lotteries, sports promotion betting and bullfighting. Online, that means two products. Sports Toto is issued by the Seoul Olympic Sports Promotion Foundation or its entrusted operator under Articles 24 to 26 of the National Sports Promotion Act, sold online through Betman, and no one else may issue a betting ticket. Korea Racing Authority horse race betting went online in June 2024 after a May 2023 amendment, with a higher age limit of 21 and hard daily caps. Casinos are land-based and closed to Koreans, with Kangwon Land the single exception.
Key facts
- Regulator
- National Gambling Control Commission (NGCC)
- Regulator type
- Dedicated regulator
- Headline tax
- Not yet verified
- Licence required
- Yes
- Minimum age
- 19+
- Tax base
- Chambers Gaming Law 2025 states there are no separate tax rates for gambling in South Korea and that general corporate income tax applies. Sector-specific charges do exist in practice, including the statutory allocation of sports promotion betting proceeds under the National Sports Promotion Act, but no rate was verified at review, so no gross-revenue or turnover rate is recorded here. Do not infer a headline rate from this entry.
- Capital
- Seoul
- Currency
- KRW
- Official languages
- Korean
Legal framework
Primary statutes
Criminal Act, Chapter XXIII (Articles 246 to 249)
- In force
- Yes
- Summary
- Article 246 covers gambling and habitual gambling, Article 247 setting up places for gambling, Article 248 the sale of lottery tickets and Article 249 the concurrent imposition of fines. Every lawful form of Korean gambling is a statutory exception carved out of these provisions. Chambers 2025 records the penalties as fines up to KRW 10 million for unlawful gambling and imprisonment of up to three years plus fines up to KRW 20 million for habitual gambling.
National Gambling Control Commission Act (Act No. 8279)
- Year
- 2007
- In force
- Yes
- Summary
- Enacted 26 January 2007, most recently amended by Act No. 19482 of 20 June 2023. Its stated purpose is to develop the gaming industry into a sound leisure industry by minimising adverse effects and monitoring illegal gaming business. Article 2 defines six supervised categories: casino business, horse racing, bicycle and motorboat racing, lottery tickets, sports promotion betting and bullfighting matches. It also defines illegal gaming business. The Commission sits under the Prime Minister and operates a supply quota system.
- In force
- Yes
- Summary
- Article 24(1) allows the Seoul Olympic Sports Promotion Foundation to issue sports promotion betting tickets to raise funds. Article 25(1) allows it to entrust operation to an approved organisation or individual. Article 26 bars anyone else from issuing them. Article 30(1) prohibits selling tickets or paying refunds to minors. Article 53 punishes unauthorised issuance with up to three years imprisonment or a fine up to KRW 15 million; Article 54 punishes sales to minors with up to one year or a fine up to KRW 5 million.
Secondary instruments
Tourism Promotion Act (casino licensing)
- In force
- Yes
- Summary
- Licenses land-based casinos, which per Chambers 2025 generally prohibit entry by South Korean nationals.
Special Act on Assistance to Development of Abandoned Mine Areas
- In force
- Yes
- Summary
- The exception that permits Korean nationals to enter Kangwon Land, the only casino in the country open to them.
Key amendments
- 25 May 2023The National Assembly passed a revision to the Korea Racing Authority Act enabling online horse race wagering for the first time. Testing began in December 2023 and the formal rollout followed in June 2024, with online tickets capped at KRW 50,000 per game and KRW 750,000 per day and a minimum online betting age of 21.
Licensing
- Licence required
- Yes
- Application window
- Not yet verified
- Local establishment required
- Not yet verified
- Local server required
- Not yet verified
- Barriers to entry
- There is no online gambling licence in South Korea for anyone. The lawful online products are the state sports betting programme and, since June 2024, Korea Racing Authority horse race betting, both operated by statutory bodies. A commercial operator has no application route, and offshore supply is met with IP blocking and criminal exposure for the player as well as the operator.
Licence types
Sports promotion betting ticket issuance (National Sports Promotion Act, Articles 24 to 26)
- Scope
- Sports Toto. Issued by the Seoul Olympic Sports Promotion Foundation or an operator it entrusts with approval. No other person or entity may issue sports promotion betting tickets.
Casino business licence (Tourism Promotion Act)
- Scope
- Land-based casinos, generally closed to South Korean nationals. Kangwon Land is the exception under the Special Act on Assistance to Development of Abandoned Mine Areas.
Taxation
- Headline GGR tax
- Not yet verified
- Effective date
- Not yet verified
- Tax base
- Chambers Gaming Law 2025 states there are no separate tax rates for gambling in South Korea and that general corporate income tax applies. Sector-specific charges do exist in practice, including the statutory allocation of sports promotion betting proceeds under the National Sports Promotion Act, but no rate was verified at review, so no gross-revenue or turnover rate is recorded here. Do not infer a headline rate from this entry.
Compliance
- Minimum age
- 19+
- National self-exclusion
- Not yet verified
- KYC requirements
- Article 30(1) of the National Sports Promotion Act prohibits selling sports promotion betting tickets or paying refunds to minors, and Chambers 2025 records real-name and age verification requirements for account creation under the Game Industry Promotion Act. Korea Racing Authority online betting requires a higher age of 21 against 19 for traditional tickets, per the Asian Racing Federation.
- Stake limits
- Not yet verified
Minimum age by vertical
- Horse race betting: 21+
Advertising
- Advertising permitted
- No
- Penalties for breach
- Promotion of illegal gambling is dealt with under the Criminal Act and related legislation, with blocking and takedown used against offshore supply.
Restrictions
- Online casino and online poker are prohibited, so there is no lawful online product to advertise.
- The lawful products are monopolies: sports betting, horse race betting and the lottery, each run by a designated operator, and land-based casinos which are foreigner-only apart from a single domestic-access venue.
- Advertising or promoting illegal gambling is treated as part of the underlying offence rather than as an advertising compliance question.
- Korean nationals can face liability for gambling abroad as well as at home, so promotion aimed at Korean consumers carries exposure at both ends.
- The National Gambling Control Commission coordinates policy and monitoring across the sector.
Enforcement
- ISP blocking
- Yes
- DNS blocking
- Not yet verified
- Payment blocking
- Not yet verified
- App store takedowns
- Not yet verified
- Operator liability
- Setting up a place for gambling is an offence under Article 247 of the Criminal Act. Issuing sports promotion betting tickets without authority carries up to three years imprisonment or a fine up to KRW 15 million under Article 53 of the National Sports Promotion Act. Chambers records IP blocking of non-Korean sites and notes that advertising offshore gambling may amount to aiding and abetting.
- Player liability
- Yes. Chambers 2025 records that individual players face fines up to KRW 10 million for unlawful gambling and imprisonment of up to three years plus fines up to KRW 20 million for habitual gambling. South Korea is a jurisdiction where the player, not only the operator, carries criminal exposure.
Outlook
Watch the tension between a large illegal online market and a supply quota system designed to hold legal supply down. The National Gambling Control Commission exists to cap the legal sector, not to grow it, so the policy response to offshore demand runs through blocking and policing rather than licensing. The Korea Racing Authority online launch is the one recent liberalisation and its caps and age limits are the template any future online expansion would follow.
Frequently asked questions
- Can South Koreans gamble online legally?
- Only on the state sports betting programme (Sports Toto, sold online through Betman) and, since June 2024, Korea Racing Authority horse race betting. Everything else is a criminal offence for the player as well as the operator.
- Which casino can South Koreans enter?
- Kangwon Land, permitted under the Special Act on Assistance to Development of Abandoned Mine Areas. Casinos licensed under the Tourism Promotion Act generally prohibit entry by South Korean nationals.
iGT coverage of South Korea
Sources
- National Gambling Control Commission
National Gambling Control Commission (NGCC), Republic of Korea
Tier 1Accessed 5 Aug 2026 - National Gambling Control Commission Act (Act No. 8279 of 26 January 2007)
Korea Legislation Research Institute, Statutes of the Republic of Korea (translated)
Tier 1Accessed 5 Aug 2026 - Criminal Act, Chapter XXIII (gambling and lotteries), Articles 246 to 249
Korea Legislation Research Institute, Statutes of the Republic of Korea (translated)
Only the chapter and article headings were readable at review; the operative text of Articles 246 to 249 did not render. The penalties recorded here therefore rest on Chambers Gaming Law 2025, not on a direct read of the statute.
Tier 1Accessed 5 Aug 2026 - National Sports Promotion Act (sports promotion betting tickets, Articles 24 to 30, 53 and 54)
Korea Legislation Research Institute, Statutes of the Republic of Korea (translated)
Tier 1Accessed 5 Aug 2026 - Gaming Law 2025 - South Korea
Chambers and Partners Global Practice Guides
Tier 3Accessed 5 Aug 2026 - Korea - Launch of Online Betting, Korea Racing Authority
Asian Racing Federation
Tier 3Accessed 5 Aug 2026