Faced with an illegal market estimated at €14 billion, Seoul is launching the biggest overhaul of Sports Toto in twenty years. Esports is among the candidate disciplines, and the Korean community is already debating the consequences.
On September 4, the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) unveiled its "Sports Policy Vision 2030". Among its thirteen priority projects, one point stands out for the esports scene: the complete overhaul of Sports Toto, the country's legal sports betting system, with the addition of new disciplines including esports.
According to government data, the illegal sports betting market reached 21.7 trillion won in 2025, roughly four times the size of the legal market. Vice Minister Kim Dae-hyun summed it up at the September 2 briefing: Sports Toto is the main source of funding for the national sports promotion fund, yet its operation has barely changed since its creation.
How legal sports betting works in Korea
Unlike in Europe, there is only one authorized operator. Today, the framework is as follows:
- Only five disciplines: football and basketball (since 2001), golf and baseball (2004), volleyball (2006).
- Limited sales hours: from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., which effectively excludes most European matches.
- Online purchases on PC only, via Betman. No official mobile app.
- Payout rate of around 64%, compared with 72 to 75% for cycling races, motorboat racing, horse racing or casinos, and an estimated close to 90% on illegal sites.
- Betting cap of €65 per round, unchanged since 2001.
