Korea Bans Illegal Slot Machine Payouts

The Minister of Culture and Tourism Kim Myung-gon announced on Friday that in continuation of their investigation into the illegal slot machines in Korea, they have taken steps to remove some of the corruption that has been taking place. They have decided to eliminate the payout of gift certificates for all slot machines.

Kim also apologized for the slot machine scandal over the Sea Story game. He said, “As the main government body responsible for the gaming industry, I apologize to the public for causing such a big controversy with addictive games. I feel totally responsible for the audit result and as head of the ministry; I will try to improve the gaming licensing system.”

Since the vouchers used for the slot machines have been used illegally – customers have been able to cash them out – they think that if they eliminate the vouchers they will eliminate much of the corruption that has been caused by the use of them. Originally as players won the slot machines, they were to receive a voucher which they could then use toward books, movie tickets, etc. However, instead, the vouchers were being cashed in for money.

Kim also said that the government is talking about various ways that they can make all of the gambling rules stricter, including the licensing regulations for the slot machine companies. This comes after discovering that most of the slot machines had been programmed illegally to allow higher payments than the legal limit allowed.

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