South Korea strengthened its dual gambling strategy on September 23, 2026, accelerating enforcement against illegal online betting while also allowing legal casinos, for the first time, to access public financing for construction, expansion and renovation projects.
Between January and August, authorities submitted 14,199 requests to block illegal gambling sites, up 40.6% year-on-year, while 3,663 people were arrested or investigated and around KRW176 billion (US$131 million) in criminal proceeds was seized. The figures were presented on September 22 during the third meeting of the Pan-Governmental Digital Sex Crime Response Council, coordinated by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, headed by Minister Won Min-kyong.
Choi Byung Hwan
The National Gambling Control Commission (NGCC), chaired by Choi Byung Hwan, doubled its civilian monitoring team for illegal sports betting from 100 to 200 members and reduced the review time for blocking requests from one or two weeks to less than 24 hours. Authorities also inspected 15 CDN operators and restricted access to 380 of 443 websites reviewed. The Ministry of Culture additionally blocked 67 illegal sports-streaming websites and 62 alternative domains.
The crackdown coincides with another major decision by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST), led by Minister Chae Hwi-young; expanding the Tourism Promotion and Development Fund so casino operators can obtain financing for facilities, a type of support unavailable since the program was launched in 1998.
Chae Hwi-young
Operators will be able to apply for up to KRW15 billion (US$11 million) for construction or expansion and KRW8 billion (US$5.8 million) for renovations. Projects in designated tourism zones or tourism complexes may receive up to KRW20 billion (US$14.7 million) for small businesses. Large and medium-sized companies will be limited to 75% of those maximum amounts, with a reference annual interest rate of 3.80%.
For the fourth quarter, the fund will have a ceiling of KRW150 billion (US$110 million), with 70% required to go to regions outside the Seoul metropolitan area. Access includes Kangwon Land, the country’s only casino open to South Korean residents, as well as foreigner-only casinos. In 2025, Kangwon Land recorded KRW14.317 trillion in turnover, 2.4 million visitors and KRW603.3 billion in taxes and public contributions. The financing expansion comes as Seoul considers raising the maximum casino contribution to the tourism fund from 10% to 15% of casino revenue and introducing license renewals every five years.
