Korea Racing Authority Act amended to allow online ticket sales

The Korea Racing Authority (KRA) said a June amendment to the Korea Racing Authority Act laid the groundwork for introducing online sales of horse race tickets, and that it is preparing for a pilot operation within the year¹. The authority disclosed the change on 18 July 2023, in an announcement about a joint meeting of gambling industry bodies held the previous week at its headquarters in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province¹.

The KRA hosted that meeting with the National Sports Promotion Foundation and Kangwon Land, the operator of the country's only casino open to its own citizens, to agree on enforcement measures against illegal gambling ahead of the online launch¹. The three bodies committed to running an anti-illegal-gambling week and a joint campaign, carrying out joint on-site crackdowns, and maintaining regular exchanges and sharing of pending issues¹.

The report did not specify what the amendment changed in the text of the act, which online products would be sold, who would be eligible to buy tickets online, or what limits would apply. It also did not give a date for the pilot, a launch date for full service, or any figure for expected turnover. None of those details have been reported¹.

Horse racing in South Korea is run by the KRA, a public body, and betting is pari-mutuel. The country's other legal betting channels, cycle racing and motorboat racing, are run separately by the National Sports Promotion Foundation. See Betting on Horse Racing in South Korea and Betting on Cycle Racing and Motorboat Racing in South Korea.

What it means for players

Until the amendment takes effect in practice, race betting in South Korea has been handled through off-course betting outlets and on-track windows rather than online. The change points to a legal online channel for horse race tickets, but the KRA has not said when it will open, who can register, or whether non-residents and visitors would be able to hold an account. For now, the practical position for anyone betting on South Korean racing is unchanged: the legal route remains the existing outlets, and the pilot has not started¹.

The joint enforcement commitments also signal closer coordination between the three state-linked operators on illegal gambling, which in South Korea covers unlicensed online betting sites. How that affects players depends on details that have not been published¹.

What happens next

The KRA says it is preparing for a pilot operation of online ticket sales within 2023¹. No date, eligibility rules or betting limits for that pilot have been reported. The three bodies also agreed to hold an anti-illegal-gambling week, a joint campaign and joint on-site crackdowns, with no dates given¹.

For background on how legal online accounts work elsewhere in the region, see Official Online Horse Racing Betting Accounts in Asia and Where Horse Racing Betting Is Legal in Asia.