The partially amended Game Industry Promotion Act, designated Act No. 20485, took effect on 22 October 2024, according to the national law information portal1. The amendment covers the law's penalty articles, Articles 44, 45 and 46, which set prison terms and fines for offenses under the Act1.
Article 44 carries the heaviest penalties. A person who lets others gamble or leaves them to do so, who promotes speculative behavior, who commits acts listed under Article 32, or who keeps operating a business after receiving an order under Article 38 faces up to five years in prison or a fine of up to 50 million won1. Game products owned or held by such a person, proceeds from the offense and property derived from those proceeds are confiscated, and where confiscation is not possible, the equivalent value is collected1.
Article 45 sets a maximum of two years in prison or a fine of up to 20 million won. It covers offenses including ignoring a corrective order from the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, obtaining a rating through false or improper means, operating without a required permit or registration, and providing game products that are not for youth use1. Article 46 sets a maximum of one year in prison or a fine of up to 10 million won, covering offenses including operating without filing a required report and admitting youths outside permitted hours1.
The law's definitions section, unchanged in this amendment, defines speculative game products to include those involving betting or payouts, those whose outcome is decided by chance, and games imitating horse racing, bicycle or boat racing, or casino games regulated under the Tourism Promotion Act2. Casino businesses under the Tourism Promotion Act and speculative acts under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Regulation and Punishment of Speculative Acts are excluded from the definition of game provision business2.
The portal lists the amendment as effective 22 October 2024, the same date as the promulgation1. The specific changes made to each article by this amendment, beyond the penalty ranges and offense descriptions shown, have not been reported.
What it means for players
The amended articles govern penalties for operators and others who break the rules on game products, not the act of gambling itself. The prison terms and fines apply to people who run or facilitate prohibited operations, such as providing game products that are not for youth use or admitting youths outside permitted hours1. For players in South Korea, the practical effect is on the businesses they use: an operator facing these penalties may be shut down or have equipment and proceeds confiscated1. The law's treatment of casino gambling and speculative acts sits outside this Act, under separate legislation2. Details of how enforcement will change in practice have not been reported.
What happens next
No further steps are set out in the amendment text. The provisions took effect on 22 October 20241.
Sources2 sources
- 조문정보 | 국가법령정보센터, law.go.kr
- 법령 | 국가법령정보센터, law.go.kr
