Gambling Illegal In Korea
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. The Korean government soon created the Korea Esports Association (KeSPA) to manage Esports in Korea. KeSPA is a member of the National Olympic Committee of South Korea. Furthermore, they played a major part in building the world’s first Esports stadium in 2005 in Yongsan. Esports in Korea is now run like a professional sports franchise league. One of the illegal gambling sites that restricted access from a Korean IP address However, with the help of an industry insider in China, Inven was able to gain access to some of these sites. On one of the websites, there were two main categories on the top, esports & streams, and underneath it, subcategories were organized by game categories. South Korean gambling laws are quite restrictive in who may play, how often they may play and what types of games may be offered. The only forms of gambling available across the nation are the national lottery and the Sport Toto which is a type of sports betting lottery. I understand that gambling overseas is illegal in korea and so they have to punish her but i think they also need to step in and get her some much needed mental help.
I wouldn’t really want to post this news of a Korean scandal involving Filipinas, but let it be a reminder to everyone living in South Korea. Every money making activity in Korea should be reported to the proper government agency. If you run a business in Korea, make sure it’s registered with the tax office. If you run a tutorial service, make sure you’re registered with the education department. Now, if you run a gambling business online… that’s another matter.
On May 22nd, about 29 Filipinas living in South Korea have been placed under investigation for running an illegal gambling activity from June 2012 to April 2013. They conduct their gambling operations through Facebook. Betters choose a “lotto” number and pay for their bet. According to the news, about 3,915 to 7,830 people participated in each draw. The prizes range from 46,980,000 won to 60 million won. It is estimated that the total money involved amounted to 1.8 billion won to 2.4 billion won. That is almost 2.3 million US dollars!
“Lotto” is not the only illegal gaming I’ve seen on Facebook done by Filipinos here in Korea. Some sell bets for gadgets like iPad or expensive cellphones. Engaging in this kind of gaming may be fun, but remember that it’s also illegal. It would be better to just save your money than lose in gambling.
UPDATE: Here’s a link to video shown on KBS news. Foreign married women gambling through Facebook
Korea is one of a small number of countries in the world that differentiates Korean citizens and foreigners with regard to the legality of gambling via the gambling locale. Casino gambling, for Koreans, is legally prohibited in all but one casino. However, foreigners may gamble in a variety of casinos located in most major tourist cities.
Korean criminal law applies to Korean citizens throughout the world, Thus, Korean citizens are, even, prohibited from gambling outside of Korea. Prosecution, for overseas gambling by Koreans, sometimes occurs, however, these prosecutions are, usually, part of a more substantial allegation against the individual.
The, only, exception, for Koreans, to the Gambling Laws is casino gambling at Kangwon Land. The Special Act on the Assistance to Development of Abandoned Mines established the legal framework for the development of the Kangwon Land casino and the law and related laws allows Koreans to patronize this casino. The casino is in a remote area a few hours South of Seoul.
Foreigners, however, may gamble at any legally established casino in Korea. The Tourism Promotion Law established the legal framework that has allowed the establishment of casinos throughout Korea for the use by, solely, foreigners.
Koreans have the opportunity, within Seoul and in many major cities, to gamble via lotteries, ToTo, horse racing, powerboat racing, and cycle racing only.
Is Gambling Illegal In Korea
___
Sean Hayes may be contacted at: [email protected] Sean is co-chair of the Korea Practice Team at IPG Legal. He is the first non-Korean attorney to have worked for the Korean court system (Constitutional Court of Korea) and one of the first non-Koreans to be a regular member of a Korean law faculty. Sean is ranked, for Korea, as one of only two non-Korean lawyers as a Top Attorney by AsiaLaw. Sean is known for his proactive New York-style street-market advice and his aggressive and non-conflicted advocacy.
Sean works with some of the leading retired judges, prosecutors and former government officials working in Korea.
Sean’s profile may be found at: Sean C. Hayes