South Korea's National Gambling Control Commission (NGCC) set the country's gambling revenue cap at 0.43% of projected annual GDP and capped the number of gambling venues at 100 under the Fourth Comprehensive Plan for Sound Development of the Gambling Industry, dated November 2023. The plan excludes foreigner-only casinos from the revenue cap1.
The revenue target has been adjusted repeatedly as national accounts methodology changed. The first plan (November 2008) managed net gambling revenue at 0.58% of GDP through 2013. The second plan (February 2014) changed the target to 0.54% after a March 2014 revision of the national accounts system. The third plan (November 2018) adjusted it to 0.51% after a change in the base year of the national accounts. The fourth plan (November 2023) set the current 0.43% figure and removed foreigner-only casinos from the total1.
"제4차 사행산업 건전발전 종합계획(2023.11)에 따라 외국인 전용 카지노를 매출총량 적용 대상에서 제외하고 당해연도 예상 GDP 대비 0.43%로 설정하여 관리하고 있다"
The venue cap has also moved in steps. The second plan held the number of gambling venues at the 2013 level of 98. The third plan managed a total of 99 venues. The fourth plan manages 1001.
| Plan | Date | Revenue target (% of GDP) | Venue cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | Nov 2008 | 0.58% | Not stated |
| Second | Feb 2014 | 0.54% | 98 |
| Third | Nov 2018 | 0.51% | 99 |
| Fourth | Nov 2023 | 0.43% | 100 |
The fourth plan also launched a real-name purchase integrated management system, which merges the existing electronic card system and online sales system under one framework. The NGCC says it is working to expand the real-name purchase rate by reflecting results in its soundness evaluations and offering incentives to strong performers, such as additional revenue quota1.
Under the revenue cap rules, a sector that exceeds its total in one year has the excess cut by 100% when the next year's total is set, and it loses fee reduction benefits when the addiction prevention and treatment levy is imposed1. The levy is set between 35 and 50 per 10,000 of annual net revenue under Article 14-2 of the National Gambling Control Commission Act1.
The soundness evaluation applies to Kangwon Land (the only casino open to locals), the Korea Racing Authority, the National Sports Promotion Foundation, Busan Facilities Corporation, Changwon Leports Park, Donghaeng Lottery, Sports Toto Korea and the Cheongdo Public Corporation1.
What it means for players
The revenue cap and venue cap apply to the licensed gambling sector as a whole, not to individual bets. Foreigner-only casinos sit outside the revenue cap, so the plan does not constrain their total sales the way it does Kangwon Land, horse racing, cycling, boat racing, lotteries and sports betting1. The 100-venue cap limits how many licensed gambling locations can operate, which affects where the games above are available1.
The real-name purchase system is the part most likely to touch players directly. It replaces the earlier electronic card and online sales arrangements with a single managed system, and the NGCC ties it to enforcing purchase limits. The commission states that domestic gambling sectors set per-transaction purchase or betting limits, and that the absence of a tracking system previously allowed repeated purchases across windows and machines1.
What happens next
The NGCC says the soundness evaluation runs every year and its results feed into the following year's revenue totals and the calculation of the addiction prevention and treatment levy1. The commission says it continues to reflect real-name purchase results in those evaluations and to pursue incentives for operators that perform well1. No further dated steps beyond the annual evaluation cycle are given1.
Sources1 sources
- 사행산업통합감독위원회, ngcc.go.kr
