North Korea actually had casinos. And they were casinos that operated 24 hours a day.
Although North Korea strictly restricts gambling for its general citizens, it has opened casinos to foreign tourists where they can enjoy slot machines and table games.
Casinos have been utilized as a means to attract foreign tourists and earn foreign currency.
An analysis of data from North Korea research institutes, overseas travel agencies, and international media on the 19th reveals that the representative facilities where casino operations have been confirmed in North Korea are the Yanggakdo International Hotel in Pyongyang and the Imperial Hotel in the Rason Special Economic Zone.
◇ A Casino for Foreigners in the Basement of a Pyongyang Hotel
The Yanggakdo International Hotel, located on Yanggak Islet in Pyongyang's Taedong River, is a well-known accommodation for foreign tourists visiting North Korea.
The 47-story hotel, which opened in 1995, housed a facility called the 'Pyongyang Casino.'
Koryo Tours, a travel agency specializing in North Korea, reported in April 2019 that the casino was operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week, while sharing news of hotel facility upgrades.
This fact was also reported by Yonhap News at the time.
Unlike the general North Korean public, foreign tourists were provided with a space inside the hotel to play casino games around the clock.
However, the specific operators of the casino, the scale of gaming facilities, revenue, and visitor numbers have not been disclosed.
Unlike casinos in South Korea, there is no system in place where the government regularly announces business performance or discloses supervisory data.
◇ The Rason Imperial Hotel, a Favorite Among Chinese Tourists
There was also a casino in the Rason Special Economic Zone in the northeastern part of North Korea.
Adjacent to the borders of China and Russia, Rason is a representative special zone where North Korea has pursued foreign investment and economic development.
The Imperial Hotel there was built by Hong Kong investors in 1999 and was a facility for foreign tourists equipped with a casino.
Professor Rüdiger Frank, a North Korean economy expert at the University of Vienna, Austria, contributed an article to the North Korea-specialized media outlet '38 North' in December 2014 regarding his visit to Rason in September of that year.
He recorded that he personally observed Chinese guests staying at the hotel, dining, and enjoying gambling at the casino.
It was a snapshot of the North Korean style of border tourism, combining sightseeing with casinos to attract Chinese customers.
However, as North Korea's tourism policy changed significantly after COVID-19, the current situation is unclear.
North Korea resumed foreign tourism in the Rason region in February 2025, but suspended tourist entry again just a few weeks later in March.
Although there were signs of resumed transport and trade between China and North Korea in 2026, there is insufficient evidence to link this to the resumption of normal casino operations.
◇ Plans for a Casino in the 105-story Ryugyong Hotel
North Korea's interest in casinos also appeared in the Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang, which has remained unfinished for a long time.
The Ryugyong Hotel, which broke ground in 1987, is a super-tall building standing about 330m high with 105 floors and is a symbolic structure of Pyongyang.
Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported in July 2024, citing a source inside North Korea, that authorities had considered a plan to install a casino in the Ryugyong Hotel.
The plan involved providing casino operating rights to foreign investors if they covered the internal construction costs of the hotel.
Testimony also emerged that investment attraction plans were discussed with reference to the profitability of the existing Yanggakdo International Hotel casino.
This suggests that casinos can be used as a business incentive to attract foreign capital beyond being simple tourism auxiliary facilities.
However, this is a report based on an anonymous source, and no actual investment contract or casino opening has been confirmed.
◇ Will the Wonsan-Kalma Tourism Development Lead to Casinos?
Large-scale tourism development recently pushed by North Korea is also noteworthy.
The Wonsan-Kalma Coastal Tourist Area, which began operations in July 2025, is a large tourism complex equipped with hotels and beach resort facilities.
North Korea has been pushing to foster an international beach tourist destination by creating facilities capable of accommodating about 20,000 people.
However, it showed a restrictive stance on opening up to tourism, such as temporarily suspending the entry of foreign tourists immediately after opening.
In August 2025, limited visits by Russian tourists were confirmed.
Given that the global casino industry is developing around Integrated Resorts (IR) that combine hotels, shopping, performances, and leisure facilities, the future development direction of the Wonsan-Kalma tourism district is also a point of interest.
However, as of now, it has not been confirmed that a casino has opened in Wonsan-Kalma or that casino construction has been finalized.
◇ The Biggest Barrier for North Korean Casinos is Secrecy
North Korean casinos differ significantly from the casino industry in South Korea.
South Korea allows locals to use casinos at Kangwon Land and operates separate casinos exclusively for foreigners.
In contrast, major casinos in North Korea were facilities designed to induce spending by foreign tourists and secure foreign currency.
There is also a large gap in industrial transparency.
North Korea does not disclose data that would allow for an assessment of the industry's status, such as the number of casino venues, the scale of gaming facilities, revenue, visitor numbers, or employment status.
Therefore, while the fact that casinos existed in Pyongyang and Rason is confirmed, it cannot be concluded that both casinos are operating normally as of 2026.
Lee Ki-won, Chairman of the Korea Gaming Tourism Professionals Association, said, "If inter-Korean relations were good, it would be great for Kangwon Land to participate in casino management, which is a pity," adding, "It is highly likely that North Korea will hope for casino investment in the Wonsan-Kalma tourist district from U.S. President Trump."
Meanwhile, it is noteworthy that North Korea operated 24-hour casinos in the past and considered attracting new casinos to super-tall hotels.
This is because it shows the relationship between North Korea's economic policy of utilizing foreign tourist spending and the casino industry.
The reality of North Korean casinos, veiled in secrecy, remains a subject of interest for the global casino industry to track alongside the level of openness of the tourism industry.
