Gambling is unquestionably among the most used pastimes on the planet. However having its potentially addictive nature and the social consequences that this might entail it has been deemed illegal in lots of countries round the world. As in nearly all of Asia gambling in South Korea is, in principle, illegal. It states in the Criminal Act, Article 246 that anyone who gambles or bets for the goal of gaining property will probably be punished with a fine as high as 5 million Won. Article 247 prohibits the opening of a place for the use of gambling for a gain and sets a punishment of imprisonment for no more than 3 years or a fine as high as 20 million Won.
This law is not a blanket exclusion of gambling and, in Korea you, you can still gamble under restricted circumstances - an illustration being for the promotion of tourism. ì•ˆì „ë†€ì´í„° There has been laws enacted allowing gambling using circumstances.
For instance:
The laws vary for foreigners and Korean citizens. Since it stands at this time the Special Act on the Help the Development of Abandoned Mine Areas allows the running of the only land based casino in Korea that Korean citizens may enter. It is located in Gangwon province, in a abandoned mining district, the remote countryside helping to further restrict access for Koreans.
For non-Korean citizens the Tourism Promotion Act offers permission for hotels to use casinos that only foreign nationals are allowed to enter. Such casinos are currently running in Seoul, Incheon, Jeju Island and are heavily supervised by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
There are 2 lotteries available to Korean citizens the Lotto and the Toto í† í† ì‚¬ì´íŠ¸ ( a sports lottery). The operation of and selling of tickets are regulated under the Lottery Fund Act.
Horse racing and betting at the venues is permitted under the Korean Horse Affairs Association Act and comes under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.
Other race sports are also legal and regulated, these generally include cycling and motor boat racing although these both come under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
That is currently a dull area as Korea does not need relevant laws for the specifics of online gambling. Arguments may be designed for both parties - like, the monetary transactions is likely to be happening beyond Korean jurisdiction so can certainly not be susceptible to Korean law, hence it's very unlikely that the money is likely to be seized by anyone. However the finish user continues to be in Korea so might be susceptible to the national laws that affect general gambling. The National Police Agency has established the Criminal Activity Investigation Team to help control any potentially unlawful online activities, including gambling. This certainly implies so it would be 'considered' illegal; although at present no cases have now been brought to test this.