The South Korean government has announced plans to add esports to Sports Toto, the country’s only legal, state-run sports betting and lottery system.
The plan was revealed as part of the government’s “Sports 2030 Policy Vision”, an announcement covering the future direction of sports policy in South Korea. Alongside esports, the government named three other sports it wants to bring into Sports Toto: billiards, table tennis, and handball.
At a press briefing following the announcement, a reporter asked (translated from Korean) whether the government plans to add sports beyond the initial four. Officials responded that they intend to keep expanding the list of sports covered by Sports Toto over time.
A committee has already been formed to study what rules or requirements a sport would need to meet to be added. Once those requirements are finalised, the committee will use them to decide which sports qualify. The government indicated it does not want the rules to be overly strict, since the overall goal is to grow Sports Toto rather than limit it. Officials did not share specific details about what the requirements might look like.
It’s important to note that this plan is still under consideration. The government has not confirmed an official timeline for when a formal proposal might be drafted or approved. As of now, esports remains one of four sports being considered for inclusion, alongside billiards, table tennis, and handball, but nothing has been finalised.
According to the government, money collected through Sports Toto goes into the National Sports Promotion Fund, which is used to support sports programs across the country. Officials said that adding more sports to the system would increase the sources of that funding and provide more financial support for sports that currently struggle to attract sponsors or institutional backing.
Handball was specifically mentioned as an example of a sport that has difficulty securing sponsorship. The government suggested that including sports like handball in Sports Toto could make their financial situation more stable over time.
The government also pointed to a second reason for the expansion: the size of the illegal sports betting market. Officials said the illegal market is significantly larger than the legal Sports Toto market. By adding more sports and making Sports Toto more competitive, the government hopes to draw some bettors away from illegal platforms and into the regulated system.
