South Korean tourism officials have proposed a plan to introduce proxy betting at the country’s 17 foreigner-only casinos, as one way to compensate for drastically reduced foot traffic and revenues.
According to the Korea Casino Association, sales at the casinos dropped 73 percent year-on-year in 2020 to KRW336.5 billion (US$286 million).
According to the Korean New Daily, Representative Lee Sang-heon of the National Assembly Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, proposes amending the Tourism Promotion Act to let VIPs place bets remotely. The practice is usually done through an onsite agent, but can also be accomplished through live streaming to players watching online.
The proposal has met with resistance from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Inside Asian Gaming reports that officials there are concerned the system would allow Koreans to gamble by using fake IDs, leading to “excess sales” in the industry. Lee responded that there’s no limit on sales volumes for the 17 casinos and addressed identity concerns by calling for the introduction of strong security measures.
“The casino business is a purely human service that creates a lot of jobs, so a decrease in sales will soon lead to an employment crisis for casino workers,” Lee said.
