{"id":777045033,"date":"2026-07-17T08:49:14","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T11:49:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/?p=777045033"},"modified":"2026-07-17T08:52:26","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T11:52:26","slug":"south-korea-considers-raising-casino-tourism-levy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/south-korea-considers-raising-casino-tourism-levy","title":{"rendered":"South Korea considers raising casino tourism levy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The proposal would increase the maximum contribution paid by mainland foreigner-only casinos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

South Korea.- The maximum tourism levy paid by mainland foreigner-only casinos in South Korea may be increased from 10 per cent to 15 per cent of annual gaming revenue as part of a package of regulatory reforms. The proposal is under review by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and has not yet been submitted to parliament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The levy funds go to the Tourism Promotion and Development Fund. The current progressive contribution system would remain in place, but with the maximum rate raised to 15 per cent. The government notes that the contribution framework has remained largely unchanged since 1995 despite significant growth in the industry.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The levy increase would not cover Jeju Island’s eight foreigner-only casinos because they operate under a separate legal framework. However, local officials have said a similar move could be considered for the island if the national amendment is eventually enacted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The proposed tax change is part of a wider regulatory review that also includes a proposal to replace the de facto permanent casino licences with a periodic renewal system that would also require government approval for changes in controlling shareholders. Authorities say the measures are intended to strengthen oversight of the sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Korea Casino Association has voiced opposition to the proposal, arguing that many operators pay the highest contribution rate under the current system and that the combined effect of a higher levy, licence renewals and new shareholder approval requirements could reduce investment and increase uncertainty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n\t\t\tSee also:<\/span><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tSee also:<\/span> Rise in Chinese tourism improves outlook for South Korea\u2019s foreigner-only casinos<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The proposal would increase the maximum contribution paid by mainland foreigner-only casinos.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":680,"featured_media":16278,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"is_press_release":false,"is_interview":false,"is_opinion":false,"focusai_summary":"South Korea is proposing a regulatory reform package for its mainland foreigner-only casinos, including an increase in the maximum tourism levy from 10% to 15% of annual gaming revenue. This initiative, under review by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, also seeks to replace de facto permanent casino licenses with periodic renewals and mandate government approval for changes in controlling shareholders, aiming to strengthen sector oversight. The Korea Casino Association opposes these measures, citing potential negative impacts on investment and increased operational uncertainty.","focusai_entities":"Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Korea Casino Association","focusai_location":"South Korea, Jeju Island","focusai_target_profile":"ceo_executive (0.9), regulator (1.0), compliance_legal (0.9), operator_casino (1.0), investor_analyst (0.9), supplier_vendor (0.7), journalist_researcher (0.9)","focusai_suggestions":[{"label":"Levy Impact Analysis","query":"What is the projected financial impact of a 15% maximum tourism levy on the net gaming revenue (NGR) and EBITDA margins of South Korea's mainland foreigner-only casino operators, considering the existing progressive contribution system?"},{"label":"Regulatory Framework Evolution","query":"How might the shift from de facto permanent casino licenses to a periodic renewal system, coupled with mandatory government approval for controlling shareholder changes, alter the M&A landscape and long-term capital investment strategies within the South Korean iGaming sector?"}],"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,16338],"tags":[152,2895],"class_list":["post-777045033","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-casino-news","category-east-asia-news","tag-south-korea","tag-taxes"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777045033","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/680"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=777045033"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777045033\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":777045047,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777045033\/revisions\/777045047"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16278"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=777045033"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=777045033"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=777045033"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}