Gambling Illegal In Korea

South Korea is all set to welcome a new casino. The Governor of South Korea has officially granted a license to New Silkroad Culturaltainment to open up a casino resort. The new casino coming to Jeju Island represents a major step up for South Korea’s casino industry.

Fans of casino gambling in the country are excited. Competition in the gambling business is at an all-time high here. Will Silkroad’s new casino manage to make it in this market?

Gambling Expansion in South Korea

South Korea is one of the most economically successful countries in Asia. Unfortunately, government officials here have taken a mostly anti-gambling stance throughout the years. Most forms of gambling in the country were completely prohibited until the mid-1960s. That year, lawmakers began allowing hotels to offer casino games to foreigners.

South Koreans have very little options to legally gamble inside the country. To this day, only one casino inside South Korea will accept locals. Unsurprisingly, the one casino offering games to Korean citizens earns the vast majority of revenue in the country.

There are more than 20 casinos currently operating inside this country. South Korea is working to attract more tourists specifically to its gambling industry. It makes sense, as more Asian countries are working to do the same.

This country has made all forms of gambling illegal including sports betting which is unusual when you look at gambling laws around the world. The people of Qatar haven’t taken well to the ban and have started their own underground gambling scene. Of course, anyone who gets caught doing so will have to face the consequences. According to a report by The Khmer Times, 16 North Koreans have been busted for their role in an illegal gambling outfit that was targeting mainly Chinese gamblers.

Despite an increase in casino expansion around the country, officials in South Korea have still been extremely strict on any online gambling activities. The country has not granted any licenses for companies to offer internet gambling services in the country. Despite this, many South Koreans still choose to make online bets through different online gambling sites in Europe.

Gambling in South Korea is growing. It may not be long before the government begins offering more options to citizens in the country. What will the new casino coming to Jeju island be offering?

Details of the New Casino Coming to Jeju Island

The New Silkroad can soon develop the Glorious Hill casino resort on Jeju Island. The casino resort will actually be constructed by a New Silkroad subsidiary called Macrolink Glorious Hill.

Silkroad is established in the South Korean casino industry. They currently operate the MegaLuck Casino in Jeju, which has been growing steadily over the past few years.

Silkroad operates a very successful wine sales and distribution company in China. This has helped them to attract many Chinese VIP gamblers to its casino in South Korea. As we’ve been seeing more lately, Chinese VIP’s play a massive role in the success of a land-based casino.

The ability to bring in high-rollers is likely a reason why New Silkroad has been granted permission to construct a new casino. The company has also brought in Melco International Development to help facilitate the new casino plans. Melco currently operates casinos in both Macau and Manilla.

It’s unfortunate that the new casino coming to Jeju Island will not be open to Korean citizens. All reports indicate that this resort will only be available to foreigners. As we mentioned earlier, this could change in the future.

Competition Rising in Asia’s Gambling Industry

South Korea isn’t the only nation working to improve and expand their casino industry. Today, many different countries in Asia are actively working to begin opening up their gambling markets. Japan, most notably, has recently passed legislation to allow casinos in four different cities.

The Philippines’ gambling market has been growing considerably over the years. They continue to bring in VIP gamblers from China and are one of the hottest new casino markets in the world. Even Vietnam is beginning to allow new forms of gambling that had been previously banned.

There’s no doubt that South Korea has some stiff competition. Because they rely primarily on foreign gamblers, the competition is even higher.

Make sure to stay tuned for updates on the situation. If the new casino coming to Jeju Island begins opening to the local Korean market, we’ll be discussing it. Let us know if you think South Korea’s gambling industry will open more this year in the comment section below!

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[Example Situation]

Mr. Kim (age 50, Suwonite) invites five of his neighbors come and play poker. Money/betting is involved, but only KRW 500 – 3000 (USD 0.4 – 2.5) per round. They play for about 40 minutes. Mr. Kim loses the most money, around KRW 32,000 (USD 26.5). Mr. Lee, the winner, pays for everyone’s lunch that day. They part ways after that. Q: Crime or no?

In a very similar case last year, the Suwon District Court found them all not guilty of gambling. But not just because of the (small) amount of money. The gambling that day was considered “mere pastime” for these reasons too: 1) They all knew one another, 2) They played for a relatively short period of time + during the day, 3) The winner’s money was spent to buy everyone’s lunch that day, and 4) None of them were very poor.

#1 and #4 are especially important. There have been cases where people were found guilty of gambling even when less money (than the above example) was involved. In these cases, people usually were total strangers and/or living on welfare. In other words, “mere pastime” is a relative concept: Was winning money a means (to fun) or an end itself?

In October 2015, reports came out that three pitchers from the Samsung Lions baseball team were under investigation for having gambled (with large amounts of money) in Macau the previous year. These reports came out right before the 2015 Korean Series, and the Lions decided to remove the three players from their final roster. Well, the Samsung Lions lost to the Doosan Bears. Had they won, it would have been their 5th consecutive title. (They had just won the pennant 5 years straight.)

Is Gambling Illegal In South Korea

Criminal Act Article 2: “This Act shall apply to both Korean nationals and aliens who commit crimes in the territory of the Republic of Korea.”

Criminal Act Article 3: “This Act shall apply to all Korean nationals who commit crimes outside the territory of the Republic of Korea.”

Last month, one of the three pitchers, Lim Chang-yong, was found guilty and fined 10 mil won. (Side note: Another pitcher, Oh Seung-hwan, who was playing for a team in Japan was together found guilty and received the same punishment.) Both have been banned for half a season by the KBO (Korea Baseball Organization). Lim is now looking for a team, while Oh has since signed with the St. Louis Cardinals in the U.S. As for the other two Lions pitchers, they are still under investigation. Reports say they are training with the team in preparation for the upcoming season.

KBO Tidbit: If you are a (recent) fan of Korean professional baseball, I recommend you check out Game 7 of the 1999 playoff series between the Samsung Lions and the Lotte Giants. It’s arguably the most memorable game ever. “Tonight, we win no matter what,” ordered Park Jung-tae to his teammates during the game. He was the Lotte Giants team captain. For me, the most memorable games (in all sports) take place when neither side can imagine losing. And play like there’s no tomorrow.

Not all form of “overseas gambling” is a crime (for Koreans). For instance, playing slots for fun while vacationing in Nevada is okay. There are casinos here in Korea too, but almost all are exclusively for non-Koreans. There is only one for both Koreans and non-Koreans: The Gangwon Land Casino. In there, the Criminal Act is preempted by another law, so even Koreans are able to participate. FYI, the Paradise Walkerhill Casino (Seoul) is for non-Koreans only. (The one in Incheon closed down recently. It was the first ever casino in Korea!) To be clear, gambling (not for “mere pastime”) outside a casino is a crime even for non-Koreans within Korea. So please gamble in its place. Or not at all.

Is Gambling Illegal In Korea

Illegal/private sports betting in Korea is punished under a separate law which outlines harsher criminal punishment. The name of the law is the National Sports Promotion Act (국민체육진흥법). To read a nice post (in Korean) about the consequences of illegal sports betting, click here.

DID YOU KNOW?Simply selling coffee where you know illegal gambling to take place constitutes the crime of aiding and abetting.

For fun, below is a spam message I received recently. I get these from time to time. They say such gambling-type messages are the most frequently received spam messages in Korea. 2nd is regarding loans.

Why Is Gambling Illegal In Korea

Thanks for reading!