Gambling Supervisory Committee Publishes 2025 Gambling Industry Statistics

*This content was translated by AI.

The Gambling Supervisory Committee (GSC) announced the publication of "2025 Statistics on the Gambling Industry."

This statistical compilation comprehensively covers the status of the GSC, gambling industry operators, and the National Gambling Problem Prevention and Recovery Institute. It provides information on domestic gambling industry sales, number of users, taxes and funds generated, monitoring of illegal gambling activities, prevention and recovery efforts for gambling addiction, and net sales figures by major OECD countries.

According to the statistics, total sales in the gambling industry in 2025 amounted to 26 trillion 273 billion won, representing a 2.9% increase compared to 25 trillion 302.3 billion won in 2024. By sector, casinos exclusively for foreigners showed the highest growth rate at 21.6% year-on-year, while sales from Kangwon Land, lotteries, and sports promotion betting tickets also increased.

In terms of share of total sales, lotteries accounted for the largest portion at 7 trillion 658.9 billion won, representing 29.4% of the total. This was followed by horse racing at 6 trillion 424 billion won, sports promotion betting tickets at 6 trillion 82.8 billion won, and casinos at 3 trillion 695.5 billion won. This is analyzed to be due to an increase in lottery sales outlets (an addition of 665 locations), improved accessibility through online sales, and a rise in foreign tourists.

The most significant feature of the 2025 statistics is the visible shift toward online platforms in the gambling industry. Since the introduction of online sales, the user base has expanded, and growth in online sales has become particularly pronounced. Online horse racing sales reached 1 trillion 371.6 billion won, an 87.6% increase year-on-year, while online sports promotion betting ticket sales rose to 1 trillion 223.9 billion won, a 42.2% increase. Keirin and cycle racing also recorded online sales growth rates of 9.3% and 6.9%, respectively, demonstrating the growth trend in the non-face-to-face market. On the other hand, offline sales and visitor numbers for horse racing, Keirin, and cycle racing generally declined, indicating that user behavior is rapidly shifting from a venue-centered model to an online-based one.

Net sales of the gambling industry in major OECD countries (30 nations) are on an upward trend. As of 2024, net sales reached $31 billion, marking a 6.5% increase compared to the previous year. The ratio of net gambling sales to GDP in 2024 was 0.48% for major OECD countries (30 nations), which is higher than South Korea's 0.4%.

A gambling industry official, speaking on the phone with this newspaper, stated, "The gambling industry continues to contribute steadily to public finances. In 2025, tax assessments imposed on gambling businesses amounted to 2 trillion 307 billion won, a 1.7% increase year-on-year, while fund creation totaled 5 trillion 748.1 billion won, a 0.6% decrease compared to the previous year."

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*This content was translated by AI.