South Korea's National Assembly Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee voted through an amendment to the Korea Racing Authority Act on March 23, 2023, opening the way for online sales of horse race betting tickets1. The committee approved the amendment at a full meeting that day1.
The bill's stated purpose is to support the horse racing and horse industry, which the report describes as contracted, by permitting non-face-to-face purchase of betting tickets1. Online betting tickets would be available from age 21, higher than the age 19 threshold for ordinary paper tickets, a step the report says is intended to prevent indiscriminate online purchasing1. The amendment also introduces a real-name system for electronic betting tickets to prevent minors from buying them1.
"과거 정부는 청소년 온라인 마권 구매를 우려로 이 법안을 반대해 왔는데 보완 장치를 전제로 입장을 바꿨다."
That line states that past governments had opposed the bill over concerns about online betting ticket purchases by young people, and changed position on the premise of supplementary safeguards1.
The report gives no figures for expected betting turnover, tax revenue or the number of accounts, and no date for when online sales would begin. Those details have not been reported1.
| Item | Ordinary ticket | Online ticket |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum age | 19 | 21 |
| Purchase method | In person | Non-face-to-face |
| Identity rule | Not stated | Real-name electronic ticket |
What it means for players
The committee vote is a step in the legislative process, not the start of online sales. Until the bill clears the remaining stages, the practical position for anyone betting on horse racing in South Korea is unchanged: tickets are bought in person, and the age 19 rule applies to ordinary tickets1. If the amendment is finalized as passed, online purchase would carry a higher age floor of 21 and would require a real-name electronic ticket, so a buyer would need to be identified rather than anonymous1. The report does not say whether foreign residents or visitors would be able to open an online account, what identity documents would be accepted, or which platform would run the sales. None of that has been reported1. For background on how the current system works, see Betting on Horse Racing in South Korea and Can I Gamble in South Korea?. The wider regional picture is set out in Where Horse Racing Betting Is Legal in Asia and Gambling Laws in Asia: What Is Legal in 12 Jurisdictions. Details of who can hold an official account appear in Official Online Horse Racing Betting Accounts in Asia: Who Can Open One, and the alternatives are covered in Offshore Horse Racing Betting in Asia: What You Can and Cannot Do.
What happens next
The amendment passed by the committee must still go through the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee and then a plenary session before it is finalized1. The report gives no dates for those stages1.
