As the number of South Korean citizens participating in overseas gambling increases, the Korean tourism sector and regulatory bodies are calling on the government to establish a dedicated task force to systematically address this escalating trend. This suggestion was jointly proposed by the Tourism Sciences Society of Korea (TOSOK) and The Korea Times at a recent public forum, quickly sparking widespread discussion across various sectors.
During the forum, several policy experts and scholars expressed their concerns about South Koreans traveling abroad to gamble. They noted that although currently only Kangwon Land is legally open to domestic gamblers, and the other 17 casinos are only open to foreigners, a large number of South Koreans still go to places like Macau and the Philippines to gamble, or circumvent legal restrictions through illegal online platforms, creating regulatory blind spots.
Participants believe that the current regulatory mechanisms are insufficient to effectively cover overseas gambling activities, and are calling for the government to set up an interdepartmental special task force to address this issue from multiple angles, including strengthening monitoring of outbound capital flows, cooperating with foreign law enforcement agencies, and establishing early warning systems to combat high-risk gambling activities.
According to data from the National Gambling Control Commission of Korea, in 2017 alone, South Korean nationals spent a total of 4.9 trillion Korean won on overseas gambling, with more than eighty percent of this amount flowing into the markets of Macau and the Philippines. Experts point out that this trend not only leads to substantial capital outflow but also brings about secondary harms such as family breakdowns, accumulation of debt, and loss of social trust, urgently requiring systematic government intervention.
Experts emphasize that deterrence through criminal responsibility is far from sufficient; it is necessary to enhance legal education, guide the public to correctly understand the risks of gambling, particularly to curb the spread of gambling culture among the youth, and prevent a vicious cycle.
So far, the South Korean government has not yet made an official statement regarding the establishment of the special task force, but related policy discussions have been intensifying. Observers expect that more targeted regulatory measures and implementation plans may be introduced in the coming months to respond to calls from all sectors and fill legal loopholes.
