Sports Betting Games, 15 Operators Running 26 Services as of First Half of This Year

Since the Enforcement Decree Revision in March, 16 Applications Submitted, 12 Approved

NHN Undergoing Review Process Aiming for Service Launch in October

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] Sports betting games, which predict game results in a format similar to Sports Toto and return game money based on the results, have been gradually spreading since their approval in March.

According to the sports betting game review and result status data submitted by the Game Rating and Administration Committee to Lee Byung-hoon, a member of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee (Gwangju Dong-gu Nam-gu Eul), as of July, a total of 51 sports betting games have been rated, and 26 games from 15 operators are currently in service.

In 2019, 11 games and in 2018, 9 games received game rating approvals, but as of 2020, 18 games have passed the review and 7 services have started operating.

It was revealed that 38 out of the total 51 rating approvals over the past three years were granted, indicating a trend that warranted the need for related regulatory amendments at the government level.

Sports betting games have attracted the gaming industry's attention since the revision of the 「Enforcement Decree of the Game Industry Promotion Act」 in March. The amendment applies web board game regulations to sports betting games and abolishes the daily loss limit that had been applied since 2014 to online web board games simulating betting or dividend content. This shows the government's intention to manage sports betting games within the legal framework.

Assemblyman Lee Byung-hoon said, “If the authorities can properly manage issues such as cash refunds, sports betting games are expected to suppress illegal sports gambling worth 20 trillion won and bring it into the institutional framework.” He added, “The Game Rating and Administration Committee and others should continuously monitor and create detailed guidelines to ensure compliance with regulations.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.