North Korea debuts mobile lottery and sports betting service
North Korea has quietly added a mobile lottery and sports betting to its official Samhung Electronic Wallet app. This move marks a primary change in North Korean policies, as gambling has always been banned for its citizens.
According to an analysis by DailyNK, the Samhung app now includes number-based lottery games and sports betting, similar to South Korea’s “Lotto” and “Sports Toto”. This move is unusual, given how strictly the regime controls foreign media and content.
The number-based “Sports Number Lottery” will allow users to win jackpots by matching a sequence of digits on their ticket with the winning combination. 바카라ers can manually select their numbers or use an automatic generator. Top prizes are awarded when the last five digits of a seven-digit ticket match the drawn number. Secondary prizes are likely available for four or three-digit matches, although exact prize tiers are not clearly disclosed.
On the other hand, the “Sports Event Lottery” invites users to bet on the outcomes of real-world football matches.
International tournament bets legalised
These include fixtures from North Korea’s domestic league as well as international tournaments and major top-tier leagues such as England’s Premier League and Spain’s La Liga. Users can place wagers on match outcomes, combined scores, goal predictions, and various odds or ranking outcomes.
A notification dated 1 March 2023 announced one of the app’s most enormous winnings to date. A user with a single ticket won a top prize of 46.7 million North Korean won — approximately USD $5,640 at the market exchange rate prevailing in Pyongyang at the time. Another entry from 17 March 2023 showed a user who purchased 15 tickets to secure the top prize, indicating that multiple entries are permitted.
Winnings are compensated either through North Korea’s state-backed Jonsong debit card system or directly into the Samhung electronic wallet. However, key details such as the lottery’s draw procedures, regulatory oversight, and revenue distribution remain opaque. It is also unclear what portion of the ticket sales is claimed by the state.
This move marks quite an unusual shift in North Korea’s information policy. While the government strictly blocks foreign media and controls internet usage, it is simultaneously using international sporting events as the basis for gambling services.
Betting isn’t just for tourists anymore?
North Korea’s regime allowing locals to play these games might be a move to boost engagement with state-approved digital platforms and raise money through controlled gambling. Previously, gambling was only for foreigners at places like the Yanggakdo International Hotel in Pyongyang and the Rason Special Economic Zone.
These 바카라s, using foreign currencies like US dollars, euros, and Chinese yuan, were heavily monitored and off-limits to locals. Now, with lottery systems embedded into mobile financial apps accessible by North Koreans, the government appears to be carefully experimenting with localised betting, marking a significant shift in the regime’s stance on gambling and digital consumer services.
