KakaoTalk for Daum Kakao will see limited online gambling games added to the instant messaging platform.
Though Kakaotalk ha 140 million users, the company’s main source of revenue is from its games, advertising, and from the sale of upgrades like emojis, according to casino.org.
After two consecutive poor quarters, the company is looking at online gambling for a fix. Online gambling has been illegal in South Korea, but government recently relaxed its stance, although with certain restrictions. For example, there’s a 300,000 won ($258) monthly betting limit per person and a 30,000 won ($26) limit per session, according to casino.org.
“Users will purchase game money and play each other using that money,” spokesperson for Kakao told the website. “It is a little bit like gambling, but there are limitations on how much you can bet on a single game and how much game money you can purchase.”
The company is also looking at more traditional games which will be rolled out next month, the spokesman said.
