South Korea’s E-Sports Industry Wants Lawmakers to Green-light Toto Betting Proposal
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South Korea’s esports industry wants parliament’s biggest party to allow Toto, or tote-style betting on professional matches.Top Crypto Casino in Saudi Arabia – BitStarz Ranked #1

Most forms of sports betting are illegal in South Korea. However, in 2000, the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism green-lighted the launch of Sports Toto, a service similar to the British football pools and tote betting systems common in other countries.

Sports Toto allows citizens aged 20 and over to buy tickets worth a maximum of KRW 100,000 ($72). Players must effectively predict the results of multiple fixtures.

Stakes are pooled, and players with the most correct predictions are awarded weekly cash prizes.

Currently, the only pro sports included on tickets are soccer (football), baseball, volleyball, golf, and basketball. Each sport has its ticket, and players can place their bets at convenience stores nationwide.

However, the media outlet Inven reported that the Korea e-Sports Association has presented the Democratic Party (DP) with a proposal for an offering tentatively named “e-Sports Toto.”

Sports Toto tickets.
Sports Toto tickets. (Image: SBS News/Screenshot)

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The DP has 170 out of 300 seats in the National Assembly. Its candidate for June 3’s Presidential Elections, Lee Jae-myung, has a 20 percentage-point lead over his nearest rival in most recent opinion polls.

As such, the DP will likely form the next government of South Korea. The party has made several pro-business manifesto pledges in the IT sector.

The association appears hopeful of persuading the party to back its bid, as esports franchises struggle to find new revenue streams.

Any decision to back the proposal would be beset with challenges, however. The nation is currently battling a worsening youth gambling epidemic.

And creating an esports toto would require legislative approval, in the form of a revision to the Enforcement Decree of the Sports Promotion Voting Rights Act.

The association, however, has suggested a “gradual” introduction, starting with a controlled pilot project involving a small number of pro league fixtures.

The body claimed that the project could help provide much-needed financial resources for South Korean e-sports leagues.

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Seoul has used Toto to help fund major sporting projects in the past. Some Toto funds, for instance, helped the nation prepare to co-host the 2002 World Cup.

The association pointed out that e-sports meets the criteria required to be a “modern professional sport,” with global leagues and club systems.

But, the body said, the sport “still requires public investment and institutional support for sustainable growth as an industry.”

The association said Toto could help secure a “stable” flow of financial resources to help esports grow in South Korea.

It added that approving the plan would also help attract overseas investment and promote convergence with other industrial sectors.

The DP has not yet committed to a stance on the body’s proposal. However, a member of the party’s video game committee said she agreed that steps needed to be taken to improve South Korean esports’ “international competitiveness.”

Sports Toto Korea, the national Toto operator, recently launched QR code identification services to expand its operations.

Tim Alper
Tim Alper

Tim is a journalist, author, and columnist with two decades of experience writing for outlets like the BBC, the Guardian, and Chosun Ilbo. He is an expert on regulation, business, and industry...