South Korea's Ministry of Gender Equality and Family announced on October 11, 2023 that it is giving advance administrative notice of a notice designating hold'em pubs and other speculative game establishments as businesses where youth entry is prohibited, to prevent gambling addiction and exposure to speculative behavior among young people1. The pre-announcement runs until the 30th1.
The ministry said the notice will apply to establishments that offer games imitating casino operations as defined under the Tourism Promotion Act, or games imitating horse racing, bicycle racing and motorboat racing as defined under the Korea Racing Authority Act and the Bicycle and Motorboat Racing Act1. The notice applies regardless of whether an establishment exchanges game chips for cash or goods or pays out prizes, and entry and employment decisions for young people will be based on the business activity actually carried out, regardless of any permit, authorization, registration or report required under other laws1.
The notice can be viewed on the ministry's website, www.mogef.go.kr1.
Deputy Minister Lee Ki-soon said:
"청소년 도박 중독이 매년 증가하고, 젊은 층 사이에 홀덤펍 등 사행행위 문화가 확산하고 있어 주의가 필요하다"며 "이번 고시를 통해 청소년기 도박 노출 및 사행행위에 대한 사회적 경각심을 깨우고 청소년의 건강한 성장을 도모하겠다"
The report describes a hold'em pub as a place where people drink while playing card games1. The article does not state how many such establishments operate in South Korea, what penalties establishments would face for admitting young people, or how "youth" is defined for the purposes of the notice; those details have not been reported1.
What it means for players
The measure targets who may enter and work in hold'em pubs and similar venues, not the legality of the games themselves. Under the planned notice, people under the youth age threshold would be barred from entering or being employed at establishments offering casino-style or racing-style games, whether or not chips are exchanged for cash or prizes and whether or not the venue holds any permit or registration1. For adults, the notice as reported does not change entry rules. For visitors to South Korea, the practical effect would fall on venues that imitate casino or racing games rather than on licensed casinos, which are regulated separately under the Tourism Promotion Act1. The background to gambling rules in the country is set out in Can I Gamble in South Korea? and Gambling Laws in Asia: What Is Legal in 12 Jurisdictions. Support and warning-sign information is covered in Safer Gambling in Asia and Young People and Gambling: Risks, Warning Signs and Talking to Your Children.
What happens next
The pre-announcement period ends on the 30th1. After that, the ministry plans to collect opinions by sector, carry out a regulatory review and obtain a decision from the Youth Protection Committee before issuing the notice within the year1.
Sources1 sources
- 홀덤펍 등 사행게임업소에 청소년 출입 금지된다 | 연합뉴스, yna.co.kr
