Casinos Open to Locals in Asia

Where locals can and cannot gamble in Asia

If you live in Asia and want to play table games or slots in a proper casino, your options depend almost entirely on your passport or residence status. In most of the region, the casino floors you see in Macau, Seoul, Manila and Siem Reap are built around foreign visitors, and locals are stopped at the door. Japan has no casinos yet, though the country passed a framework for approving so-called "integrated resorts"⁵. But the blanket rule has exceptions, and they are worth knowing in detail.

The pattern is easiest to see country by country. In South Korea, dozens of casinos operate as "foreigners only" venues, including well-known ones like the Hyatt Regency casino in Seoul, whose own listing states plainly that the casino is for foreigners only⁶. The same applies to Majesta Jeju Casino on Jeju Island, described as a foreigners-only casino⁷. Korean citizens have one outlet: Kangwon Land, covered in detail below.

Vietnam ran a pilot scheme for years that let Vietnamese citizens into a single casino under strict conditions, and in 2025 the government widened it to several casino projects. Corona Phú Quốc remains the flagship, and the rules are set out further down this page.

Singapore took a different route: it legalized casinos for everyone, but charges its own citizens and permanent residents an entry fee designed to discourage casual visits. The two integrated resorts, Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa, are open to locals who pay.

The Philippines allows tourists and non-resident foreigners into PAGCOR casinos freely, and lets residents in only if they can show a gross income of at least P50,000 for the previous year, certified by the Bureau of Internal Revenue; each qualified resident may bring up to two guests, who must be at least 21⁴.

Japan's integrated resort law takes a similar line: the government is required to set the scope of who may enter casino facilities specifically to prevent harmful effects of casino use by persons other than foreign tourists⁸, and the law contemplates entry limits, entry fees and lending restrictions aimed at Japanese nationals and foreigners residing in Japan⁹.

Online play is a separate matter. Using online casinos from within Japan is treated as illegal gambling, even when the site is licensed abroad¹⁰. In Cambodia, online casino play is prohibited for citizens, and while using foreign sites can constitute illegal gambling, authorities rarely prosecute locals for it¹¹. If you want the broader picture of what is legal where, see gambling laws in Asia and gambling law for visitors and expats.

South Korea: one casino open to locals

Kangwon Land, branded as High1, sits in Sabuk-eup, Jeongseon County, in the mountainous Gangwon Province a few hours east of Seoul. Its Chinese-language site calls it the country's only and largest casino for both Korean nationals and foreigners¹, and it has held that position since it opened in 2000 as a development project for a declining mining region. A 2010 industry report described it the same way: South Korea's only casino open to locals¹².

It is also the biggest casino in the country by a wide margin. The Korean-language listing describes it as the largest-scale casino in South Korea¹³, and the numbers back that up. The casino's English game list shows the following counts¹⁴:

That is roughly 200 table games and well over a thousand machines, spread across a resort that also includes hotels, ski slopes and a golf course.

Every other casino in the country, from Seoul to Busan to Jeju, is foreigner-only. Korean citizens who want to play legally at home have exactly one address.

Kangwon Land entry rules for Korean nationals

The entry rules at Kangwon Land are simple on paper: both Koreans and foreigners may enter¹⁵. The Japanese-language listing confirms the same, describing it as a casino usable by both Korean and foreign guests¹⁶, and the Chinese-language version notes it was the first casino-style hotel in Korea open to both Korean nationals and overseas visitors¹⁷.

The minimum age is 19. The Chinese-language listing states the casino is for those aged 19 and over¹⁶, and an independent Korean guide agrees, noting Kangwon Land is the only casino where Korean nationals may enter, from age 19¹⁸.

There is an admission charge. The Jeongseon County tourism page lists an admission fee of 9,000 won¹⁷. A research paper on Kangwon Land and Singapore's casinos put the figure at KRW 5,000 for a 24-hour levy, payable by everyone entering¹⁹. The fee has changed over the years; the county page is the current official figure. Foreign visitors pay the same as Koreans; there is no separate foreigner levy.

Beyond the fee, the practical requirements are the usual ones: photo ID for age checks, smart-casual dress, and no entry to anyone under 19 even as an accompanying guest on the gaming floor. The casino runs all year without closing days²⁰, so there is no day of the week when it is shut. For the documents asked at casino doors across the region, see casino ID requirements in Asia.

Visit limits: 15 days a month at Kangwon Land

Because Kangwon Land is the only legal outlet for Korean citizens, the government caps how often you can go. An independent Korean guide to the casino lists the limits plainly: a maximum of 15 days of entry per month, and a maximum of 15 hours of use per day¹⁸.

In practice this means the casino tracks your visits against your ID. If you are a Korean national who plays regularly, the system will refuse you once you hit 15 days in a calendar month. These limits are listed for Korean nationals, and no source applies them to foreign visitors, though in practice the cap matters most to locals, since a foreign tourist is unlikely to spend half the month in Sabuk.

The daily cap of 15 hours is generous given the casino's overnight schedule, with tables listed from 10:00 into the following morning. But if you plan a long weekend at the resort, note that marathon sessions are not possible: after 15 hours inside, you are done for the day.

Vietnam: Corona Phú Quốc admits Vietnamese players

Vietnam's experiment with letting its own citizens into casinos began as a pilot in 2017 and has been extended and expanded since. From December 1, 2017, Vietnamese who could show a minimum income of VNĐ10 million per month became eligible to gamble at a casino²¹, and the pilot program was later extended²².

In 2025, the government widened the scheme: Vietnamese citizens are now allowed to play at casinos at certain projects, not just the original pilot site²³. Corona Resort & Casino Phú Quốc is the first property in Vietnam licensed to welcome Vietnamese guests under the widened rules², and news reporting has described Corona as currently the only casino allowing Vietnamese citizens to gamble²².

The resort itself is a full integrated complex at Bãi Dài, Phú Quốc, about 35 minutes by car from Phú Quốc airport². Around the casino you find four five-star hotel brands (Radisson Blu, Wyndham Grand, Wyndham Garden GrandWorld and VinHolidays Fiesta), Vinpearl Safari, VinWonders, Grand World, an 18-hole golf course, a spa, and 24/7 dining including the Bamboo restaurant, Azuma, Red Light Bar and Ellipse Bar². The age limit is 21 and over, and children under 21 may not enter the casino area².

At the door, everyone shows valid ID: a passport, citizen ID card or CCCD². New guests register as members, presenting an ID card or passport²⁴. Foreign visitors must show a valid passport with visa and entry-exit stamps to register²⁴. Vietnamese guests additionally submit income proof documents and buy an entry ticket; VIP guests receive an entry card and regular guests a ticket confirmation mark². Money is exchanged at the Cage: you bring cash in VNĐ or an accepted foreign currency and swap it for chips².

There is also a family safeguard: the resort operates a "cấm chơi" (banned from play) mechanism available at the request of relatives, so a family member can ask the casino to bar a player². To reach the resort, call the 24/7 hotline at +84 297 222 8888 or email mkt.management@casinocorona.vn²⁴.

Income requirement: 10 million VND a month

The core condition for Vietnamese citizens is financial. Players must prove a regular income of 10 million VND per month or more, or show they are subject to tax from bracket 3 or higher under the Personal Income Tax Law²⁵. The casino's own terms spell out the same test, and require the income documents as originals or notarized copies²⁴. English-language reporting from when the pilot began gives the same figure, about US$450 a month at the time²⁶.

On top of the income proof, Vietnamese players pay for entry; the entry ticket applies only to Vietnamese nationals, while foreign guests register with their passport and do not pay it.

In practical terms, a Vietnamese player making the trip needs:

• A valid passport, CCCD or ID card²⁴
• Income proof: originals or notarized copies showing at least 10 million VND per month, or personal income tax documents from bracket 3 or higher²⁴
• Cash for the entry ticket²
• Cash to exchange at the Cage for chips²

The income test is the part that trips people up. A salary slip alone may not show a regular monthly figure at or above the threshold; the casino asks for originals or notarized copies of documents that do.

Singapore: two licensed casinos, 21 and over

Singapore legalized casino gambling in 2006 with a hard cap: the Casino Control Act allows two casinos only²⁷. Those two are Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa, and the law has never been changed to allow a third.

The legalized forms of gambling in Singapore include casino gambling at those two resorts, alongside social gambling, betting with Singapore Pools and jackpot machine play in private clubs³. The minimum age for entry into the casinos is 21 years old²⁸, and persons under 21 are barred from entry and from gaming.

The distinctive Singapore feature is the entry levy. Any Singapore Citizen or Permanent Resident who wishes to enter a casino is required to pay an entry levy²⁹; the law states that a casino operator must not allow any citizen or permanent resident to enter or remain on casino premises unless the person has paid it³⁰. The annual option is $3,000 for a valid annual membership of the casino³⁰. Foreign visitors do not pay; the levy is aimed squarely at locals. For the fee levels in detail, see casino entry levies in Asia.

Singapore also runs the region's most developed system of visit controls. Individuals may apply to limit the number of visits they make to the casinos in a calendar month, a Voluntary Visit Limit³¹. Visit Limits in general cap the number of visits per calendar month an individual can make¹¹. Third Party Exclusion and Visit Limit measures exist to protect financially vulnerable citizens and permanent residents who gamble at the local casinos or who have a poor credit record³². These are covered more fully on our page about casino exclusion orders and self-exclusion in Asia.

Cambodia suspends casino-based online gambling

Cambodia's casino industry is primarily concentrated in Poipet, on the Thai border, and Sihanoukville on the coast³³. The venues there have long been aimed at foreign visitors, and online casino play is prohibited for Cambodian citizens; while using foreign sites can constitute illegal gambling, authorities rarely bother prosecuting locals for it¹¹.

The bigger story is the government's crackdown on the industry itself. In late September 2026, Prime Minister Hun Manet announced that online gambling operations at all casinos nationwide would be suspended from October 2026, as part of efforts against technology-related scams and money of unclear origin. The suspension has no end date, and it follows the revocation of a number of casino licenses. For players, the practical effect is that casino-based online betting from Cambodia, already off-limits to citizens, is being shut down at the source rather than merely discouraged.

Resident or visitor: which rules apply to you

The single most important question at any Asian casino door is which category you fall into, and the answer follows your citizenship and residence, not where you happen to be standing.

• Foreign tourists are the welcome market almost everywhere. In South Korea, all casinos except Kangwon Land are foreigner-only⁶. In the Philippines, tourists and non-resident foreigners may play at PAGCOR casinos⁴. In Japan, casino facilities are being designed around foreign tourists, with the law requiring measures to prevent harmful effects of casino use by persons other than foreign tourists⁸.
• Citizens and permanent residents face the restrictions. Singapore charges its citizens and permanent residents an entry levy²⁹. Japan's law contemplates entry limits, entry fees and lending restrictions aimed at Japanese nationals and foreigners residing in Japan⁹. The Philippines requires residents to show a gross income of at least P50,000 for the previous year⁴.
• Foreign residents often fall on the local side of the line. A foreigner living in Japan or the Philippines is generally treated like a local for casino entry purposes, not like a tourist. Check the specific rule for your country of residence before you plan a visit.
• Self-exclusion exists in several systems. Japan's casino regulations require measures to restrict a visitor's use of the casino facility upon request of the visitor or of family members or other related persons³⁴, and Singapore and Corona Phú Quốc both run their own schemes as described above.

If you are unsure how your status is classified, or what happens if you gamble in a country where you are not allowed to, the pages on penalties for gambling in Asia and whether foreigners can be banned or deported for gambling cover the practical risks.