South Korea has 17 foreigner-only casinos, according to the Korea Casino Association’s Korean-language member page, which this desk read on 17 October 2026. One more casino, Kangwon Land, admits Korean nationals as well as foreigners, for 18 association members in all. The association’s English page still states 17 in total.
This is an evergreen reference. The count is the association’s, as printed on the reading date; the venues are listed below so the number can be checked rather than repeated.
How many foreigner-only casinos are there in South Korea, and who counts them?
The association’s member page says Korea’s operating casinos are 17 foreigner-only houses and one locals-and-foreigners house, 18 registered members, and its regional filter adds up to the same 18.
That is an industry body’s directory, not the regulator’s register. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism posted its 2026 casino-business status on 29 April 2026, but the figures sit in a downloadable attachment that was not read for this post. Nothing here should be read as the ministry’s count.
Every member casino, by region
As the Korean page lists them on 17 October 2026, in its own order. Names are this desk’s renderings of the Korean.
| Region (page count) | Casino | Host venue |
|---|---|---|
| Seoul (3) | Paradise Casino Walkerhill | Sheraton Grand Walkerhill |
| Seoul | Seven Luck Gangnam COEX | COEX convention annex |
| Seoul | Seven Luck Seoul Dragon City | Seoul Dragon City |
| Busan (2) | Seven Luck Busan Lotte | Lotte Hotel Busan |
| Busan | Paradise Casino Busan | Paradise Hotel Busan |
| Incheon (2) | Paradise Casino | Paradise City |
| Incheon | Inspire Casino | Inspire Entertainment Resort |
| Kangwon (2) | Kangwon Land Casino, locals and foreigners | Kangwon Land Hotel |
| Kangwon | Alpensia Casino | Alpensia Holiday Inn resort hotel |
| Daegu (1) | Hotel Inter-Burgo Daegu Casino | Hotel Inter-Burgo Daegu |
| Jeju (8) | Gongzi Casino | Ramada Plaza Jeju |
| Jeju | Paradise Casino Jeju | Maison Glad Jeju |
| Jeju | Seven Star Casino | Lotte Hotel Jeju |
| Jeju | Jeju Oriental Casino | Jeju Oriental Hotel |
| Jeju | Dream Tower Casino | Jeju Dream Tower |
| Jeju | BlueOne Casino | Jeju Sun Hotel |
| Jeju | Les A Casino | Jeju Shinhwa World |
| Jeju | Jeju Felix Casino | Jeju Shilla Hotel |
Two brands account for seven rows: four carry the Paradise name and three the Seven Luck brand tracked in our GKL monthly sales table. Jeju holds eight of the 18, more than Seoul, Busan and Incheon combined, though by venue count only; the page gives no floor area or revenue. One of the island’s houses is assessed in our Jeju Dream Tower review.
Why the English page says 17 and the Korean page 18
Both pages were read on the same day, and they differ. The English page states 17 casinos (Seoul 3, Kangwon 2, Incheon 1, Daegu 1, Busan 2, Jeju 8) and carries no Inspire entry. It lists the Seoul Seven Luck branch at the Millennium Seoul Hilton, where the Korean page names a Seoul Dragon City branch.
In Jeju, the English page returns nine names against its own filter of eight, including Mega Luck Casino at the Kal Hotel Jeju, which the Korean page does not list. At five Jeju host hotels the two pages give different casino names: LT Casino against Seven Star at the Lotte, Jeju Sun against BlueOne, Landing against Les A at Shinhwa World, Royal Palace against Jeju Oriental, and Yalanwan against Felix at the Shilla. Neither page explains the differences, so this post does not either.
Where the 16, 17 and 23 figures come from
The older figures are not wrong so much as dated. On 24 January 2024 the ministry granted Inspire’s casino final permission, the first new foreigner-only casino permission since 2005 and the first under the Free Economic Zones Act to a foreign investor. Yonhap’s report that day said Korea had 17 casinos, all foreigner-only except Kangwon Land: 16 plus one. Add Inspire and the arithmetic matches the Korean page’s 17 plus one.
Investor explainers and forum answers that still say “17 casinos, 16 foreigner-only” are repeating the pre-Inspire count. A 2018 USA Today feature put the number at 23, citing World Casino Directory; it named no list, and it is not a count this desk can reconcile against the association’s members. Licensing terms behind the category are covered in our foreigner-only licence requirements explainer.
Which casino in Korea can Koreans enter?
Kangwon Land, on Yonhap’s description, and the association’s page counts one such casino. It is also the subject of this site’s report that Kangwon Land says it is building a foreigners-only zone inside the locals-admitting casino.
Questions readers ask
How many casinos are in South Korea?
Eighteen, counting the Korea Casino Association’s members as its Korean-language page listed them on 17 October 2026: 17 foreigner-only casinos and one that admits both locals and foreigners. That is an industry body’s count, not the ministry’s register, and the association’s own English page still says 17.
Can only foreigners go to casinos in Korea?
At 17 of the 18 association members, yes: the Korean page files them as foreigner-only. The exception is Kangwon Land in Jeongseon, which Yonhap described in January 2024 as the one casino not catering exclusively to foreigners; the association’s page counts one casino admitting locals and foreigners.
Why are Koreans not able to gamble in most Korean casinos?
Because the market runs in two tiers. The ministry’s January 2024 release calls Inspire’s permission the first new foreigner-only casino permission since 2005, while a single casino, Kangwon Land in Gangwon Province, admits locals. The entry rule itself lives in law this desk did not read for this post, so it is not paraphrased here.
This is a market map for the operators, suppliers and analysts who price Korea’s casino sector, written for an adult trade readership. Kajino Scout holds no licence, runs no tables and points no one towards a casino floor.