Top Live Casinos in South Korea

Officially known as the Republic of Korea (ROK), this is a country which is located in East Asia that shares its borders with North Korea. The population of the country counts about 51 million residents, but half of the population lives in the Seoul Capital Area.

The country is considered to be one of the most advanced democracies in the whole of Asia, with high grades for press freedom. However, political scandals and corruption remain an issue, as all four former South Korean presidents are being sentenced to prison for crimes like abuse of authority, embezzlement, and bribery.

South Korea is a well-developed country, and it is the seventh-highest ranking one in the Human Development Index in Asia and Oceania. The economy is the world’s tenth-largest measured by nominal GDP.

The country is also known for providing its citizens with one of the fastest internet connection speeds, together with its impressive high-speed railway network. They are the eighth-largest importer in the world and the fifth-largest exporter. South Korea is a member of various international organizations, such as the G20, the Paris Club, and the OECD's Development Assistance Committee.

Gambling in South Korea has a very long and complicated history, and it goes as far back as when the country split from the North counterpart, which was Soviet-ruled. Following the end of WW2, gambling started finding its way into the South Korean way of life.

However, despite the popularity of gambling increasing, the government started making some restrictive legislation very soon. The laws that were brought forward made gambling prohibited for all Koreans, and they even said that Koreans are not allowed to gamble outside of the country. The only legal forms of gambling were horse racing, boat racing, cycling, and lottery.

Casinos were completely banned until 1967. At that time, some hotels were allowed to offer casino games to their customers. Those games included slot machines and table games, but even then, Koreans were not allowed to visit or gamble at these sites.

To this day, there is only one casino at which Koreans can gamble, and it is located in the region of Seoul. All the other casino establishments in the country can only be visited by tourists. South Korea is known for being a tourist destination, so visitors love to try their luck upon staying in the country.

The same rules apply for online gambling, there is no possibility for any company to obtain an online gambling license, therefore this activity is completely illegal in the country. For this reason, South Koreans have found an alternative – trying their luck at offshore live casinos.

Online gambling is popular in South Korea, and although the government tries to block sites that accept South Korean players, they cannot fully control that sector. There are numerous live casinos that accept players from this country, and there is no case of anyone being criminally charged for playing games at their favorite foreign live casino.

Despite the country’s ban on online gambling, the positive side is that South Koreans are still free to access international online casinos without facing any repercussions for it. The popularity of online gambling in the country grows with each passing day, so it is no wonder that foreign gambling sites look to attract as many South Korean players as possible.

The young population of the country is especially active in online gambling, and they try to force the government into making some changes to the existing legislation, but they have had limited success so far.

It is understandable why the active online gamblers in the country are looking to put pressure on the government to legalize this sector. The benefits of legalizing online gambling go both ways, the government will be able to control the market much better, collect taxes, and the employment rates will go up with new people entering the online gambling business. This way, online gambling will become a major contributor to the economy.

As for the players, they will no longer have to search for foreign online casinos, they will have their domestic, reliable ones, and they will not have to worry about being subject to fraud from unreliable sites.

However, it doesn’t look likely that the government will make this happen any time soon, as they seem pretty content with the current legislation, and, as it seems, they will not change it anytime soon.

As is the case in many countries in the world, the gambling laws in South Korea seem all over the place. They are complicated, but they need to be respected. Casino gambling is illegal for domestic citizens, except for one gambling facility. The only legal land-based casino for South Koreans is the Kangwon Land Casino & Hotel. It is located about 130 km away from Seoul.

However, as the government tries to promote tourism, they have legalized casino gambling for tourists alone. There are over 25 casinos in the country, and only foreigners are allowed to play in them. Citizens of the country are denied entry to the sites.

Online gambling is also illegal in South Korea. There are no operators offering online gambling services to South Korean citizens, even though live casinos grow in popularity in the country. There have been some attempts by individuals and organizations to push the government into making some changes to the legislation, but with no success so far.

Even though the law states that any individual caught gambling is subject to a big fine, in reality, those fines rarely occur. This is why South Koreans feel free to play their favorite live games at offshore live casinos, and there are plenty of those accepting them as players. The government seems much more interested to block sites that try to enter the market, rather than the individuals playing at those sites.

Live casino gaming is widely recognized as a new trend in the gambling industry, and players from South Korea seem to be loving it. Unfortunately, they cannot enjoy their favorite live games on any domestic live casino, as the government considers online gambling to be illegal.

However, nothing stops them from accessing foreign live casinos, and thankfully there are tons of them from reliable jurisdictions who accept players from South Korea. The most popular games include poker, baccarat, together with live slots and live scratch cards.

Live poker is adored by the young population because it is a game that requires both skills and luck, making it very exciting to play. Live blackjack is also high on this list, as it includes a real dealer with whom players communicate via live chat or video stream.

Other Casino Games

There are some games that immediately catch the player’s eye when entering the gambling site, and those games include the:

• Classic slots
• Video slots
• The progressives

The slots make up most of each casino's game selection.

These games have many versions, and they are the preferred choice when it comes to casino games. The typical casino site that accepts South Korean players will have hundreds of different types of games to offer them. They always come in many themes, many special features, and the best, up-to-date graphics and sound effects.

One of the greatest advantages of live casinos that accept players from South Korea is the bonuses. The best live casino sites give players the chance to pick between a wide range of promotional offers, as it is a good way to attract new players, but also retain the existing ones.

Upon registering to a live casino, any player will be eligible to claim a welcome bonus, which usually comes in the form of the site matching the first deposit of the player. Sometimes the live casino will even match the second, third or fourth deposit. Free spins, no deposit bonuses, and the cashback option are also very popular among South Korean players.

How to Claim These Bonuses

It is important to state that all bonuses have certain terms and conditions, together with some wagering requirements that need to be checked by the players prior to using them. Not all bonuses are worth using.

The welcome bonus is usually filled with T&C, and it usually comes with some wagering requirements. It is only applicable to newly registered players and depending on the live casino, the first few deposits by the player are matched.

Sometimes, the sign-up deposit matched is paired with some amount of free spins, and all winnings from these spins are converted into bonus money that the player needs to wager. There are some free spins that do not convert into bonus money, but they are not common. The no-deposit bonus and the cashback option are pretty self-explanatory, but they cannot be found at many live casinos.