The “Singapore Model” in Gaming: Applications in South Korea

The gaming governance system in Singapore is a very well-known and internationally renowned model. Singapore began to launch their gaming regulation system in 2005 by establishing a national framework on gambling prior to opening two integrated resorts in the country in 2010 (Winslow, Cheok, & Subramaniam, 2015). In contrast, the South Korean “model” is much less renowned. Though there have been discussions about introducing full-scale integrated resorts, the government currently allows South Korean citizens to gamble in only one property - Kangwon Land (Research, 2016). However, Kangwon Land’s situation is controversial in South Korea, with concerns about problem gambling issues arising from the very beginning. The gambling addiction rate of South Korea in 2012 study conducted by National Gaming Control Commission, was 6.1%, which was significantly higher than that of Singapore which was only 0.2% in 2014 (though it should be noted, measurement differences are common in this field). This gambling addiction rate also appears to be high compared to some other countries such as the U.K. (2.5%), Australia (2.4%), and France (1.3%) (The Chosunilbo, 2012)