Following the trend seen at horse racing tracks, the proportion of elderly visitors at Kangwon Land, the only casino in Korea open to locals, is rising rapidly.
In particular, with one in two frequent visitors who visit the Kangwon Land casino 30 or more days a year being 60 or older, experts point out the urgent need for prevention and management measures tailored to the aging demographic of the gambling industry.
According to data submitted by Kangwon Land to Representative Cha Gyu-keun of the National Assembly's Trade, Industry, Energy, SMEs and Startups Committee on the 5th, out of 349,289 unique visitors to the casino from January 1 to September 15 of this year, 87,533 (25.1%) were aged 60 or older.
However, when narrowing the scope to frequent visitors who visited the casino for 30 days or more, the proportion of the elderly population doubles.
Among the 12,586 people who visited for 30 days or more, 6,304 were aged 60 or older, reaching 50.1%. Even among those who visited for 60 days or more, 1,172 out of 2,437 (48.1%) were in the 60+ age group.
The rate of frequent visits (30+ days) among those 60 and older was 7.2%, which is three times higher than the 2.4% rate for those under 60.
The aging trend is also evident in the total number of visits. The total annual visits by those 60 and older increased by 36.6%, from 711,659 in 2022 to 972,440 in 2025.
The proportion of total visits by those 60 and older has also risen from 34.2% in 2022 to 34.7% in 2023, 37.4% in 2024, and 39.2% in 2025, reaching 41.5% as of September 15 this year.
This aging phenomenon is already clearly visible in horse racing as well.
According to the Korea Racing Authority’s customer propensity survey, 40.9% of horse racing customers who purchased tickets via on-site machines or electronic cards were 60 or older, and 39.7% were in their 50s. Combined, those 50 and older account for 80.6% of the total. In contrast, those in their 40s accounted for 12.7%, and those 30 and under made up only 6.7%.
Even in the pilot operation of online betting, 46.5% were in their 50s and 38.9% were 60 or older, showing that the elderly-centered usage structure remains largely unchanged online.
The Korea Racing Authority's pilot operation of the 'Senior Masil Lounge,' a separate community space for horse racing customers aged 65 and older, is not unrelated to this age structure. The Racing Authority has previously conducted pilot programs at its Jongno branch providing health, cultural, and social programs for elderly customers.
The aging of gambling industry users is considered a problem beyond simple demographic shifts, as it requires addressing the potential for over-immersion due to increased leisure time after retirement, as well as economic vulnerability.
Representative Cha Gyu-keun emphasized, "Kangwon Land must prioritize the protection of elderly visitors over casino profits and urgently strengthen customized preventive measures, such as monitoring frequent visit patterns and linking them with professional counseling."
