South Korea launched a new nationwide responsible gaming campaign in May 2026 for Sports Toto and Betman users, strengthening the country’s state-controlled sports betting model while intensifying measures against illegal operators and expanding player protection tools within the regulated gaming ecosystem.
The campaign, titled “Join the responsible program and create a healthy Toto life”, officially began during May and will remain active until May 31, 2026, while the results and beneficiaries will be announced on June 5. The program operates directly through Betman, the official online platform of Sports Toto in South Korea, where users must log in, complete educational modules focused on responsible betting and participate in self-control activities to access rewards inside the system.
Participants can receive up to 500 Bet Balls, Betman’s internal promotional reward points, limited to one participation per user. The program includes gambling habit evaluations, spending limit tools, voluntary cooling-off periods, preventive education and behavioral monitoring systems designed to identify early signs of excessive gambling.
The operation is linked to Korea Sports Leisure Co., Ltd., the delegated operator of Sports Toto, which is institutionally issued by the Seoul Olympic Memorial Korea Sports Promotion Foundation (KSPO). The foundation is chaired in 2026 by Ha Hyung-joo, Olympic gold medalist and current KSPO chairman.
Chae Hwi-young
The regulatory framework also involves the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST), led by Chae Hwi-young, together with the National Gambling Control Commission, the agency responsible for overseeing national gambling prevention and gaming industry control policies in South Korea.
Sports Toto operates under the National Sports Promotion Act, legislation allowing the government to channel legal sports betting revenue into sports promotion and public funding programs. South Korea maintains one of Asia’s most restrictive gaming systems, concentrating legal sports betting primarily within Sports Toto while aggressively targeting illegal online gambling platforms.
In 2025, Sports Toto recorded approximately KRW 6.0827 trillion in sales, while nearly 33% of net revenues were transferred to the National Sports Promotion Fund. At the same time, South Korea increased rewards in 2026 to up to KRW 200 million for reports involving illegal betting operations and up to KRW 50 million for sports match-fixing reports. The Korean government now aims to strengthen the legal betting channel, improve the reputation of regulated gaming and consolidate a model where responsible gambling, digital monitoring and fiscal sustainability advance simultaneously.
