South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism set a limited operating period for newly notified casino business types under the Enforcement Rule of the Tourism Promotion Act. The rule allows the business types listed in the rule's attached table to operate from July 1 2024 to June 30 20261.
The change splits electronic table games into two categories. Under the attached table, "Electronic Table Game" is divided into "Dealer Operated Electronic Table Game" and "Automated Electronic Table Game," with 18 business types operating under each1. The note to the table states that the business types under the relevant provisions may operate from July 1 2024 to June 30 20261.
The same rule sets out how casino premises must be run. Casino sales offices must be divided into a members' area and a general area, though a separate foreigners-only area may be operated where needed to attract foreign visitors, including overseas migrants under the Overseas Migration Act1. Alcohol may not be sold or provided in the general area, and Korean nationals may not be admitted to a foreigners-only area1.
"외국인 전용 영업장에는 내국인을 출입시켜서는 아니 된다."
The rule also requires casino operators to manage user statistics and provide education and counseling for the prevention and treatment of gambling addiction, with those matters set by internal rules that must receive prior approval from the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism1.
The consolidated version of the rule published by the National Law Information Center carries an enforcement date of December 29 2025 under Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ordinance No. 622, a partial amendment1. The text does not state what happens to the notified business types after June 30 2026; that has not been reported1.
What it means for players
The two-year window applies to the casino business types named in the rule, not to casino gambling generally. For players in South Korea, the practical effect is that the electronic table game formats covered by the notice have a defined end date of June 30 2026, after which their status is not set out in the text.
The premises rules remain the sharper limit for locals. Korean nationals cannot enter a foreigners-only area, and the general area cannot sell or provide alcohol. Foreign visitors, including overseas migrants, are the group the separate foreigners-only area is intended to attract.
Operators must also run addiction prevention measures, including user statistics and education and counseling, under internal rules approved in advance by the minister. That affects how player data is collected and what support is offered on site.
What happens next
The operating window for the notified business types runs to June 30 2026. No decision on what follows that date appears in the rule text. The rule's most recent amendment took effect on December 29 2025.
For background on how gambling is regulated in the region, see Gambling Laws in Asia: What Is Legal in 12 Jurisdictions and Gambling Regulators and Licenses in Asia: Who Licenses What and How to Check. For the different license categories, see Types of Gambling Licenses Explained: Concessions, Casino, Online, B2B and B2C, and for the country itself, Can I Gamble in South Korea?.
Sources1 sources
- 국가법령정보센터, law.go.kr
