Online Casino Korea 2024 – Gambling Laws Explained, Games, RTP & Bonuses
Korea has a very complicated relationship with offline and online gambling alike, prohibiting both by law. However, despite this strict regulatory framework, as a resident you can still access the best online casinos Korea has to offer. Read on to find out how and more!
- Top Online Casinos That Accept Korean Players 2024
- Is Gambling South Korea Legal?
- All You Need To Know About Online Casino Korea
- Online Casino Korea: Licensing & Security
- Mobile Optimisation at Online Casino Korea
- Payment Methods at Online Casinos Korea
- Most Popular E-Payment Services in Gambling South Korea 2020
- Online Casino Bonuses for Korean Players
- Games and Software Providers at Online Casinos Korea
- Signing Up to an Online Casino in Korea – A Quick Guide
- Land-Based Korean Casinos
- The Future of Online Gambling in Korea
- Best Online Casino Korea Sites FAQs
Top Online Casinos That Accept Korean Players 2024
- Up to 15% cashback
- Multilanguage platform
- Lots of free spins promos
- Must-win jackpots
- Many blackjack variants
- eCOGRA-certified
- Weekly prize draws
- New slots
- Loyalty programme
- Beginner-friendly platform
- Classic slots
- Quick registration
Is Gambling South Korea Legal?
In-person gambling is strictly banned for residents of North Korea, although the country does host two land-based casinos reserved for foreigners – Yangagkso Hotel Casino and Imperial Hotel and Casino. The former mostly hosts table games, such as baccarat and blackjack, whilst the latter imposes a high entrance fee of €500 for visitors.
A similar regulatory landscape exists in the south, where gambling South Korea is banned for locals, but permitted for tourists. Residents risk prosecution or even imprisonment if caught engaging in the behaviour within or outside the country.
Online gambling South Korea is also prohibited, leaving South Koreans interested in the activity having to look for various loopholes and workarounds to enjoy casino games.
All You Need To Know About Online Casino Korea
Before signing up to a casino South Korea residents can access, you need to be aware of a few key aspects for your security and peace of mind.
For starters, the government constantly cracks down on unlicensed platforms that accept gambling South Koreans and blacklists them. Your internet service provider might also deny you access to such sites.
The solution to all of the above is to find a safe and regulated gambling South Korea site. When choosing the right online casino in Korea, you should consider several criteria: licensing, player consensus and reviews, software certification and, of course, what games are on offer.
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Online Casino Korea: Licensing & Security
Like any casino worldwide, the hallmark of a trustworthy online casino Korea is that it holds a valid licence and runs its operations legally.
Mobile Optimisation at Online Casino Korea
According to research published by Statista, in 2019, 88.5% of participants in a governmental study reported that they had a smartphone. This comes as no surprise since South Korea is considered one of the most technologically-advanced countries in East Asia.
Therefore, there’s a very high probability that, as a resident, you enjoy your favourite gambling South Korea games on the go. Thankfully, our team has made it super easy for you to find a mobile online casino Korea! Among the best operators with mobile-compatible platforms and real-money gambling apps for Android/iOS are PlayAmo and EnergyCasino.
Payment Methods at Online Casinos Korea
Without a doubt, reliable money transfers are also a must when you’re just starting out at an online casino in Korea. Most solid gambling platforms will offer you plenty of flexibility in this regard, whether you prefer traditional bank transfers or super-modern alternatives like cryptocurrency deposits.
Although our list of online casinos in Korea also includes operators that allow you to set your account currency to KRW, do keep in mind that not all of them will support the local currency. Still, USD and EUR deposits and withdrawals are a handy alternative!
We're all used to swiping our bank cards when shopping online, so if you don’t want to break that familiarity, look no further than Mastercard casinos or Visa casinos that accept players from your region.
These accept payments from the biggest card issuers and payments processors in the world. As such, your deposits and withdrawals will be instant and secured against fraud via chargeback for credit cards and the 3DS system.
Cryptocoin casinos are tremendously popular in South Korea, since residents are looking for ways to protect their identity as well as their banking details when gambling.
If you go for Bitcoin casinos or ETH gambling sites, your deposits and withdrawals will be made over a decentralised network.
Because of that, your deposits and withdrawals can’t be seized or blocked by third parties, and fees are predictable. Crypto transfers are fast, secure and confidential.
E-wallet use is prevalent across South Korea. Although most residents prefer local options, such as Naver Pay or Kakao Pay, tech-savvy gamblers can benefit from the advantages of global e-wallets, too!
There are plenty of PayPal casinos, Skrill gambling sites and NETELLER casinos to take for a spin. Samsung Pay, Jeton and Neosurf tend to all be supported, also.
E-wallets don’t reveal any personal or banking data when processing transactions – instead, all of it is encrypted. They also process deposits with lightning speed (less than 24 hours).
Most Popular E-Payment Services in Gambling South Korea 2020
The graph below shows the most used e-payment services (by gender) among respondents in South Korea in 2020.
(Source: statista.com | Published by: Nina Jobst)
Online Casino Bonuses for Korean Players
When you first start out your journey in the realm of gambling South Korea, you might not have a very generous budget for your favourite games. We’ve all been there!
That’s when bonuses, promotions and other perks offered by your chosen online casino in Korea can come in handy. Here are some examples:
- Welcome Bonus – This offer is meant to get you through the door as a new customer. Once you register, verify your account and make the minimum deposit. You can either get a matched deposit bonus or free spins.
- Reload Bonus – Online casinos Korea want to keep you active and engaged with all platform facilities and games, which is why they may add reload bonuses of 25%, 50% or 75% when you make consecutive deposits. At EnergyCasino, Friday is even dedicated to live casino reload bonuses!
- Cashback Bonus – The finest online casino Korea is sure to help you recoup minor losses with a sweet cashback bonus! Fun fact: Many operators provide cashback at live dealer games (for example, EnergyCasino – 25% and Genesis Casino – 10%).
- Free Spins Bonus – The holy grail for any new gambler is a no deposit casino bonus with free spins. That is because you don’t need to fund your account to claim the offer – you just have to verify your identity and residence after registration. This bonus is frequently available at Korean online casino sites, but make sure you read the terms & conditions carefully!
Games and Software Providers at Online Casinos Korea
If you’re ready to dive head first into those awesome Korean casino games, we’re here to give you the full scoop on what you can expect.
According to our research, almost every online casino Korea provides premium content from at least 50 software suppliers and gaming studios. Pragmatic Play slots, Red Tiger slots, and Microgaming games are among the most commonly listed options.
As for games catalogues, they are as broad and as varied as you can imagine – online slots, table games, lottery-style games, and live dealer games all await!
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Slot Games
Online casino games in Korea also include those bright and colourful slots that instantly make you think of Vegas! Many types are available to play, such as video slots, jackpot slots, classic slots with 3-5 reels, and Megaways™ slots, depending on your budget and risk tolerance.
We were pleasantly surprised to discover countless slot themes, ready to take you to different worlds, even while you’re vegging out on the couch! Explore ancient Greek mythology, take a trip to Egypt, or go back to vintage casinos with those fruity sevens.
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Table & Card Games
Table & card games, such as online blackjack, baccarat or video poker, will also be present on an online casino in Korea. Because they target a smaller number of players, you will be greeted with niche variations to the main games, depending on the platform you visit.
So, get those cards shuffling and beat the banker at Baccarat Professional Series, show the house who’s boss at Casino Hold’em, or stick to old-fashioned Classic Blackjack!
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Live Casino
It’s rather rare to find live casino games with Korean-speaking croupiers – instead, you can usually interact with English-speaking dealers, 24/7, and other players via the live chat function.
An online casino in Korea typically provides software from Evolution Gaming, Pragmatic Play, LiveG24, Ezugi, and VIVO Gaming for their live dealer games, which is fantastic news!
All of the above are renowned suppliers that offer HD streaming from luxurious studios. And, if you value authenticity, very often the game is tailored to the cultural heritage of the market (e.g. Asian-style interiors if you visit from Eastern Asian regions, like South Korea).
Live dealer roulette, live dealer baccarat, live dealer poker, and live dealer blackjack are the main highlights to explore, each available in at least 10-20 variations, such as Lightning Roulette and European Blackjack Multihand.
Sic bo is also super popular with South Koreans – you can try the regular version from Microgaming or Evolution’s unique spin on it, Super Sic Bo!
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Bitcoin Games
Last but not least, due to the restrictive landscape of gambling in Korea, cryptocoin casinos are not only gaining legitimacy, but can sometimes be the only option to preserve privacy and confidentiality.
If you’re in this boat, we highly recommend visiting an online casino Korea such as PlayAmo and 7BitCasino, integrated with multiple cryptocurrencies for both deposits and withdrawals.
You can place bets directly in crypto at online slots and table games by connecting your wallet, and even buy tokens on-site if you’ve run out.
Signing Up to an Online Casino in Korea – A Quick Guide
The sign-up process at an online casino Korea is pretty intuitive and straightforward, even for a beginner. You only need 5 minutes of your time, a desktop or a mobile device, and to follow the steps below:
- Choose the right Korean online casino for you – our table above is a good starting point!
- Find the sign-up or registration button (look on the top-right corner of the main page).
- Provide a valid email address and password, specify your country of residence, and set the desired currency for your account.
- Confirm your personal details via SMS text or email and verify your identity within 30 days after registration.
- Get playing those Korea online casino games!
Land-Based Korean Casinos
Korea houses 23 brick-and-mortar casinos, many of which are concentrated around the capital, Seoul, typically integrated in luxurious hotels or resorts. They are aimed at tourists and foreigners, since locals are prohibited from entering.
The largest and most popular land-based casinos in South Korea are Paradise Busan Hotel & Casino, 7 Luck Casino, and Hyatt Regency Jeju Hotel Casino.
They host dozens of jackpot slots, classic slot machines, video poker and live tables for roulette, blackjack, baccarat and tai-sai. Other amenities, such as restaurants, bars, lounges and entertainment, are also included in the overall experience.
The Future of Online Gambling in Korea
At the moment, the future of online gambling in Korea looks uncertain and not very promising – the government has not taken enough steps to create a friendly regulatory landscape for players and operators.
In spite of that, online gambling is still a very popular pastime among the country's locals. For the time being, the only option is to look for the best online casino Korea licensed offshore and wait for positive change!
Are you browsing this article from another location?You can find equally valuable information on our other country pages: Singapore casinos, UK gambling sites, German gaming websites, and online casino sites in the Netherlands.
Best Online Casino Korea Sites FAQs
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According to the law, online gambling is illegal in both North Korea and South Korea. The South Korean government often cracks down on online gambling platforms targeting their residents. Citizens will often use VPN services or cryptocurrency to mask their gambling activities.
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Only if that particular online casino Korea functions with a valid licence from an established authority overseas, such as MGA (Malta Gaming Authority) or Curaçao eGaming. Other aspects to consider are platform security, the customer support service, and whether the games are verified.
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Some highly-popular online slots with South Koreans are Vegas-style games like Sweet Bonanza or Starburst. Themed video slots are also sought-after, particularly those with an exploratory or mythological theme, like Gonzo’s Quest or Treasure Wild.
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Yes – South Koreans rank very high in mobile-device users worldwide, so it makes sense that the market adapts to those trends. Whilst a mobile casino Korean like PlayAmo prefers to design its own native app, most others will simply optimise their platform for smartphones and tablets.
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Unfortunately, very few Korean online casino sites will let you bet in the local currency. Instead, they will only accept international currencies (USD, EUR, etc.).
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There is a withholding tax of 22-30% applied by the government on lottery winnings, with all other casino games being tax-exempt. However, operators that run land-based casinos in South Korea need to pay a sales tax of 10% each year, per Korea’s Tourism Promotion Act.
Cristina Tudose
