Buying lottery tickets in South Korea is legal through licensed channels under the Lottery Tickets and Lottery Fund Act, which governs issuance, sale, and prize distribution via the Korea Lottery Commission (1).
The Act prohibits unauthorized issuance of tickets, mandates that sales occur at face value, and requires vendors to contract with the Commission. Online sales are permitted only through operators approved by the Commission, ensuring consumer protection (1)(2).
"No person shall sell a lottery ticket to an end consumer, for the purpose of profit-making, at a price other than the face value of the lottery ticket determined by the Korea Lottery Commission pursuant to Article 4 (2). A person who sells lottery tickets shall verify the age of an end consumer, and where such an end consumer is a juvenile defined in subparagraph 1 of Article 2 of the Youth Protection Act, he or she shall not sell a lottery ticket to the juvenile."
Domestic purchases are secure, but the Supreme Court has ruled that distributing or selling overseas lotteries within Korea is illegal, a measure intended to preserve the integrity of the national lottery system and protect consumers (2).
The legal framework balances revenue generation with consumer safeguards, reflecting the government’s commitment to transparency and responsible gaming in South Korea.
Source:
https://elaw.klri.re.kr/eng_mobile/viewer.do?hseq=38378&key=5&type=sogan
https://www.klc.go.kr/post/postView.do?boardSeq=14&seq=8476
Last updated: 20-05-2025 Disclaimer: This article does not provide legal advice. If you need legal advice, please contact an attorney directly.
