Scores of South Korean gambling experience pubs are letting their customers place real-money wagers on poker and other casino games, say police, ahead of a fresh crackdown on so-called “Texas Hold ’em pubs.”
Officers around the country will ramp up their scrutiny of pubs that offer casino-like experiences for a cover charge. Police have embarked on similar campaigns for four successive years, amid complaints that the pubs allow some patrons to gamble with cash.
Police have conducted three “intensive” crackdowns from 2023 to 2025. These have seen police arrest a total of 6,285 people on charges of operating illegal gambling establishments or illegal betting.
Detectives have also seized around 24 billion won ($16.3 million) worth of suspected gambling funds in the same period, the South Korean media outlet Newsis reported.
Officers say they will closely monitor the pubs from May to August. They said they are aware that illegal operators are using “increasing secrecy” to disguise their crimes.
Under South Korean law, only one casino – the state-owned High1 in Gangwon Province – has permission to admit domestic passport holders. This has not stemmed a rise in illegal gambling, however, with officials estimating the size of the illicit sector at $65 billion.
South Korean Gambling Experience Pubs: ‘Intense’ Crackdown
The National Police Agency said its latest crackdown is a response to criminals’ increasing use of “sophisticated and clandestine operating methods.”
The agency pointed to a rise in “highly secure social networking services” such as Telegram.
Some illegal operators use encrypted messaging apps to arrange behind-closed-doors real-money betting sessions, police said.
Many are wary of police scrutiny and operate strict “membership and reservation systems,” said police. Some use closed-circuit television networks and pay security guards to ensure only well-known patrons enter their premises after hours.
Police say many operators secretly exchange the gaming chips used at the venues for cash. Others, they say, receive commissions for directing patrons to real-money gambling dens.
Many venues have been found hosting illicit Texas Hold ’em tournaments that require patrons to pay entry fees, police said. Many of these “pay out large cash sums to winners,” officers added.
Call for Whistle-Blowers
In some cases, groups of operators could face organized crime-related charges if prosecutors can prove a group “systematically divided” roles among its members.
Lawmakers have backed police with legislation. In 2024, parliamentarians approved an amendment to the Tourism Promotion Act.
This new clause allows for the punishment of “quasi-casino activities” at Texas Hold ’em pubs.
Police have told would-be whistle-blowers they will receive a reward of up to $34,000 for information leading to an arrest.
Illegal gamblers who turn themselves in during this period will also be eligible for “discretionary leniency,” the agency added.
Police said officers will refrain from “indiscriminate crackdowns on businesses that operate within the confines of the law.”
South Korea was home to 1,200 Texas Hold ’em pubs nationwide in 2023, per Ministry of Food and Drug Safety data.
Despite their name, many South Korean Texas Hold ’em pubs offer a wide variety of casino-related games besides poker, including roulette, blackjack, craps, and baccarat.
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