Gambling Help in South Korea

Helpline 1336: phone, chat and text counseling

The main gambling help service in South Korea is Helpline 1336, run by the Korea Center on Gambling Problems. The number is short and works from anywhere in the country with no area code: just dial 1336. It exists so that gamblers and families experiencing difficulties from gambling problems can get professional counseling quickly, and everything you discuss is kept confidential¹.

Phone counseling is the backbone of the service. It runs 365 days a year, every day of the week including holidays, from 09:00 to 22:00¹.

If you would rather write than talk, there are several ways to do that:

• Text counseling. Write a text message on your mobile phone and send it to #1336. You can also reach the same service through the Korea Center on Gambling Problems website, under the "1336 helpline" > "1336 service" > "text counseling" menu².
• Chat counseling. Real-time chat is available on weekdays from 09:00 to 18:00, excluding weekends and public holidays³.
• KakaoTalk counseling. A KakaoTalk chatbot offers real-time counseling, which is often the most natural option for anyone already living in Korea⁴.
• Netline. The online counseling netline at netline.kcgp.or.kr is open alongside the phone line, 365 days a year from 09:00 to 22:00⁵.
• Board counseling. You can post a question on the counseling board at any time. The board operates 365 days a year, and answers are posted by the next day⁸.

The service is aimed at two groups: the person gambling and the family members affected by it. Both can call the same number and both are covered by the same confidentiality promise¹.

Gambling addiction counseling in South Korea

Beyond the helpline, gambling addiction counseling in South Korea is mainly delivered through in-person visits and telephone counseling. Alongside professional counseling, there are self-help groups: regional Gamblers Anonymous (GA) meetings operate in different parts of the country for people who prefer a peer group format¹⁰.

The counseling network exists because the legal gambling market is large and varied, and because illegal gambling carries its own risks. Illegal gambling, including internet gambling, hwatu (flower cards), poker and adult game rooms, is punishable under relevant laws if caught, and the Korea Center on Gambling Problems notes that illegal gambling carries a high risk of addiction, so it flags it as something to be especially careful about¹¹.

If you are not sure whether your gambling is a problem, the helpline and the regional centers described below will talk it through with you without any commitment. Family members can also use these services on their own, whether or not the person who is gambling is willing to come along¹.

Regional centers and Gamblers Anonymous groups

Scattered across the country are regional Gambling Problem Prevention and Healing Centers, each with its own phone line and in-person counseling. The centers currently listed are:

Calling the center nearest you is the simplest first step toward in-person counseling, which is the main format for treatment alongside the telephone services¹⁰.

Two national organizations are also worth knowing. The Korea Problem Gambling Agency, which publishes statistics on gambling in English, can be reached at 02-740-9000¹³. And if your gambling concerns involve the state-run racing or lottery products, each operator runs its own responsible gambling desk: the Healthy Gambling Operation Team can be reached at 02-2067-5577¹⁰.

Gamblers Anonymous groups meet regionally around the country and follow the familiar self-help format of shared experience and mutual support¹⁰. For English-speaking visitors and residents, international organizations such as Gambling Therapy, Gamblers Anonymous and Gam-Anon also offer free and confidential support, including for family members of problem gamblers.

Keeping yourself or a family member out of casinos

South Korea has a specific mechanism for keeping a problem gambler away from casinos, and it can be started by the family. A casino operator must bar entry to a person whose spouse or direct blood relative has requested an entry prohibition in writing on grounds of gambling addiction. The request has to be accompanied by documents verifying the family relationship, such as proof that the requester is a spouse, parent or child¹⁴.

This is one of the more unusual features of the Korean system: the family can act even when the gambler has not asked for help. The full process, including how to file the request and what it covers, is explained in detail on our page about self-exclusion and entry limits in South Korea.

Legal forms of gambling in South Korea

It helps to know what the legal market actually is, because the help network exists alongside it. Legal gambling in South Korea consists of casinos, horse racing, cycle racing, motorboat racing, the lottery, sports promotion voting tickets (Sports Toto and Proto) and bullfighting¹².

Online gambling is a different matter: it is prohibited in South Korea, even though some forms of land-based gambling are legal¹⁵. Some Korean financial institutions have also started blocking transactions to and from online gambling-related websites¹⁵.

For social casino games, the rules set a monthly purchase ceiling of $500 per person, and no single purchase may go above $50, one-tenth of that monthly amount¹⁶. Persons under 19 are prohibited from entering gambling venues¹⁷.

If you want the full picture of what you can play, where and how, see our guide to gambling in South Korea.

Casinos: foreigner-only venues and Kangwon Land

Casinos are where the entry rules differ most sharply between Koreans and foreigners, and it is worth knowing the layout before you visit.

There are 16 foreigner-only casinos in South Korea, plus Kangwon Land¹⁸. Korean nationals cannot enter the foreigner-only venues; Kangwon Land Casino, in Jeongseon County in Gangwon Province, is the only casino in the country that Korean residents and foreigners can enter together, and it is also the largest casino in the country¹⁹. It was permitted by special legislation that allows one casino business establishment with access for both domestic nationals and foreigners.

For foreign visitors, entry to the foreigner-only casinos requires a passport, which is checked at the door for nationality²⁰. First-time foreign customers at Paradise Casino Walkerhill, Paradise City (Incheon) and Paradise Casino Busan need a passport plus either a domestic residence report for foreign national Koreans or an alien registration card²¹. More broadly, casino operators must directly verify one or more of the following documents for foreigners: a passport, a PT passport (travel certificate), a diplomat ID, a US military ID card, a seaman's book, an alien registration card, an overseas Korean domestic residence report card, or a permanent resident card²². Overseas emigrants face a longer list: a passport, proof of permanent residency issued by the country of emigration (such as a green card), and a copy of the resident registration abstract, among other documents designated by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism²².

If you are planning a casino visit, our pages on casinos in South Korea, casinos in Jeju and casinos in Busan cover the individual venues, their games and what to expect at the door.