South Korea has a unique viewpoint when it comes to gambling. One law says all forms are illegal, except when otherwise made legal by the government. The government then has provisions for exactly one casino for Korean citizens, 16 for tourists, and gambling on sports from motorboat racing to cycle racing to traditional bullfighting. The proliferation of gambling addicts in Sabuk is serving as a warning for lawmakers in South Korea — and more recently Japan — enticed by the potential for tax revenues and economic gains.

• Why Is Gambling Illegal In South Korea War
• Why Is Gambling Illegal In South Korea China
• Why Is Gambling Illegal In South Korea Now

Discussion of illegal gambling in Korea has spread all over the international K-pop scene after the trials of six high profile celebrities were announced. Shinhwa’s Andy, first wave idol group H.O.T’s Tony Ahn, MCs Boom, and Tak Jae Hoon and comedians Lee Soo Geun and Yang Sae Hyang were all charged with illegal sports betting with bets totalling hundreds of billions of won between them. The trial has been making the news again and again after allegations of police bribery, ridiculous appeals and apology after apology. However many witnessing the events from outside Korea might have been left confused without an understanding of South Korea’s gambling laws. So today we’re here to help you out with a short guide to gambling in Korea. We’ll be looking at what is and is not allowed and how it is viewed by the public.

Slot machines at Gangwon Land

Gambling in Korea is, for the most part, illegal. The few forms of gambling which are legal exist because they are seen to in some way promote either public welfare or some kind of industry, particularly tourism. Because of this, while there are seventeen casinos in Korea, only one of them, Gangwon Land, is open to Korean citizens. Gangwon Land is located on a fairly remote resort three hours from Seoul at the top of a mountain which, as you may have guessed, was put there to discourage Koreans from gambling on a regular basis. The other casinos are open only to foreigners permitted on the grounds that they bring tourists into the country and money into the economy.

Of course, the form of gambling that has been getting the most attention in the press lately, after a host of celebrity scandals, is online sports betting but where does that stand legally? Well, it’s essentially illegal. At least this is true of the type of fixed-odds betting done through a bookmaker which will be familiar to many of us from outside Korea. There is actually one legal sports betting website but it doesn’t function in the same way as a conventional online bookies.

2002 World Cup was a huge moment in Korean sporting history

Sports Toto is a government-backed gambling business which provides opportunities to bet on Korean sports both online and in the same places where one can buy lottery tickets. This is allowed because the type of gambling means it can be classed as a lottery which are legal if they are government-approved. It was originally developed as a way to raise funding for the 2002 Japan and Korea World Cup and continues to invest some of its profits in Korean sport. They also run the related Sports Proto which is more similar standard fixed-odds betting but provides much smaller pay outs and lower odds than most international betting websites.

Some other forms of betting are legal in particular horse, boat and motorcycle racing. However just because they are legal doesn’t mean they are socially acceptable. Many Koreans hold a negative impression of horse racing punters. When an off-track betting centre in Seoul was scheduled to move to a new location, only 83 metres away, locals were outraged at the thought that patrons might have the opportunity to influence students from local schools. An emergency committee formed of local residents argued that the centre’s new location would “be a blight on an environment in which children attend schools”. Some believed that the centre would lead to an increase in adult businesses and even sex crimes in the area.

However just because other forms of gambling are illegal doesn’t mean they aren’t popular. The illegal gambling market was estimated at around 75 trillion won by the National Gambling Control Commission earlier this year. Most of this was illegal gambling in offline spots, on websites or in illegal casinos and betting centres.

Gamblers may choose to use international bookmakers like UK-based bet365

Many gamblers choose to bypass government restrictions on foreign betting websites by using proxy servers based in other countries, such as Singapore, in order to make much larger bets on foreign sports leagues. This can be a quite complex procedure requiring setting up foreign money transfer accounts and credit cards. However the host of celebrities who have been caught taking part in this kind of gambling as a result of the government’s recent crackdown show that it is still a popular way to gamble.

Penalties for being caught gambling can be quite severe with fines of up to five million won and even worse for those who run illegal gambling places who could face up to three years in prison or an up to twenty million won fine.

According to figures from the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation, the number of illegal gambling websites in Korea has increased 25-fold in the last four years with many users now choosing to access through their smartphones. The allegations brought against this new round of high profile gamblers may be shocking to the Korean public and to K-pop fans but they are far from alone in their willingness to break the law in order to take part in illegal gambling. Gambling, after all, is all about taking risks.

What do you think? Do you agree with this approach to gambling or do you think the law should be changed? Let us know!

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Why Is Gambling Illegal In South Korea War

People are fond of watching entertainment during their free time. This is also true in South Korea and other parts of the world. What’s actually exciting is the fact that a lot of viewers place their bets on different local and international competitions. Some of them win and double their money, that’s if you are lucky enough. While others lose the chance of getting that cash in the pot. That’s how gambling works, anyway. Therefore, you have to be smart on betting, especially when you do it online because you have to bet on a 메이저사이트, which are legally operated.

With this type of activity over the Internet, real money is involved. Now, if you are not going to choose a trustworthy site, then your fund is not secured. You should know that sports betting is not just for fun, even if you are just throwing away that fund after betting on a wrong choice. Let’s say that this is a form of entertainment because you are enjoying, while watching the live events. However, you are also investing some dime, that’s why you have to pick a good team. The more you win, the more money you make.

But this does not mean that you will consider this activity as a source of income or a habit because that is actually not a good idea. Let’s say that, you should only treat this as a way to kill time and make sure that you will not be addicted to it. Anyway, as a local and foreign individuals of South Korea, who is wagering on sports, there are a few things that you should know about this activity. These are important, so you should be aware and familiarized with it.

Ruling

Are you aware that the government is against any form of gambling in South Korea before? During that time, the authorities are very strict in catching every operator as well as gamblers in the country. But later on, it was minimized to help in promoting tourism. In my opinion, this is a good idea because we cannot avoid having tourists, who likes going to casinos for relaxation.

That’s why in 1997, they have started Sports Proto and Toto. They now have casinos, where only foreign visitors are allowed. This is not bad, anyway because the government just wanted to control and discipline the locals. But sooner or later, there will be more casinos, which will be opened for the Koreans. It means that they will not only place money on matches, but online casinos as well.

Legality of Sports Betting

First of all, you have to know, if gambling on a particular sport is legal – check http://kwiki.autodirectory.info/2019/04/15/is-sports-betting-legal-in-south-korea/ for more details. Whether you are a local or a foreigner, it is a must to practice legal activities, to set a good example to other locals or nationalities. Anyway, it is legal to bet on games in South Korea. They actually have the Sports Toto or the pari-mutuel and the Proto.

These started in 2001 with the aim of promoting leisure and sporting in the country as well as to collect funds. That’s why, you cannot actually take all that money in the pot because a certain amount will proceed to the Sports Promotion Fund. This is used in supporting players, who are joining various international competitions.

However, there are also individuals, who are not contented with betting online. Some of them gamble and play the casino as well. You should know that online gambling is illegal, especially to the locals. But those who do this in South Korea must make sure that they are placing their bets on a website, which is operated outside the country. Once caught, the IP address will be blocked and you will receive a warning. I supposed, this will stop you because the police officers can trace your location. If you are a citizen of this country, then you may be arrested, spend the night in jail and will pay a certain penalty.

Funding

Another important thing that you should take into consideration, is the fund and where you are going to use it. A lot of gambling sites are out there, so you should make sure that your fund will not go to a scammed site. If you are visiting South Korea and you would like to try this betting site, then choose the most reliable one to avoid wasting your fund.

If you would like to have money for gambling online, then you should have an e-wallet. This is like a wallet that you used to keep in your pouch or pocket, but this is just digitalized. That’s the reason why you can use it online.

To have a fund, you should register an account through the Skrill, Kakao Pay and Lotte Pay to name a few. In my opinion, you should choose the ones that will not require you to open a bank account in the country, especially when you do not have plans of staying for a long time. I guess, it would be ideal to create an e-wallet, where Visa or Master cards are accepted.

Sports to Bet

Why Is Gambling Illegal In South Korea China

You may place your bets on various games, such as soccer, basketball, baseball, volleyball, golf and football to name a few – go here to learn more. For every type of game, there are different options for wagering. I supposed, you would like to place your money on the favorites, where you will have better odds and more chances of winning. Actually, you may gamble on predicting the winning or losing team as well when it is a draw. And then, you may also wager on the scores of the first half as well as the second half of the matches.

Why Is Gambling Illegal In South Korea Now

If you will notice, the games come with different way of betting because scores are gained differently. For example, in basketball, you may predict the ending scores of 2 – 3 matches. While for the baseball, they may predict on the homeruns and the teams with the highest points.