Some sell vulnerabilities in gaming software or target online casinos. One defector said these operators were required to earn nearly $100,000 per year, with 80% sent back to North Korea. Online casinos are, of course, illegal. There have been numerous attempts for South Korean organisations to offer online gambling services to players, and even some out of North Korea as well, but they are all quickly shut down by the government.

A couple of years ago I stumbled upon some information on the internet, that there might be a casino in North Korea. Due to the fact that North Korea is portrayed in Western media as the most secretive and isolated country in the world, described by former CIA Director Robert Gates as 'the intelligence black hole,' this information came as a bit of a shock. The idea of a North Korean casino spiked my interest, so I searched some more. But all the information I was able to find on the internet was unclear and speculative. One site said that there might be one casino in the capital city of Pyongyang, but that this information had not been confirmed. Another site said that there definitely was a casino there. And another site said that there used to be a casino there, but that it had been closed down. There was also some speculation that there might actually be two casinos in the entire country, one in Pyongyang and the other one in an unnamed town near the Chinese border. The more I searched for answers the more conflicting information I was getting. It simply drove me nuts. For some reason I was never able to get this out of my mind and after a couple of years I decided to do the only sane thing I could think of: to travel to North Korea and see for myself.
Although North Korea is a country whose economy has been hit very hard because of economic sanctions, traveling to North Korea is not cheap. But fortunately, I happen to have a special interest in Korean culture (not politics), so I had another reason to go there. The more I thought about it, the more I was convinced that it would be a great thing to visit that country, and if in fact there was a casino there, I would definitely get to see it.
Although I am far from being an expert in North Korean affairs, I was pretty sure that gambling had to be illegal in that country. That meant that the casino, if there in fact was one, had to be reserved for foreigners. But what foreigners? North Korean immigration officers are not exactly known to be the busiest people in the world and according to some internet resources the country averages about 2,000 visitors per year. And what percentage of those can be expected to put down a wager, anyway? So, who in the right state of mind would build a casino there? Answers to those questions could not be found on the internet, so I hopped on a plane.
This was not the first time I traveled a distance just to check out a piece of information that had to do with gambling. In the world of gambling there's actually an old tradition of traveling far just to learn something or to meet with someone. Usually it's about learning a secret that has to do with cheating, such as learning a dice switch, a card muck or having the chance to see a cheating gaff. And I've done that, but I'll also go halfway around the world just to check out a casino, if I think it's worth it. And it was pretty clear to me that my mind would not rest until I saw with my own eyes what kind of casino they had in North Korea. So, off I went.
As it turns out, there is in fact a casino in North Korea. Not one, but three. One casino is in the capital city, Pyongyang, another one is in the border town of Sinuiju, next to Dandong, China, and another one in the Rajin-Sunbong Free Trade Zone (a location that I was having some trouble finding through Google Earth, although I did manage to find a web site for the Emperor Hotel & Casino, Rason). Since I only visited Pyongyang I can only report about the casino there.
The Casino Pyongyang, as it is called, is located in the basement of the Yanggakdo Hotel, which is where I stayed. The hotel is a 47 story skyscraper with a triangular footprint, situated on an island, on the Taedong River.
The following photo shows the north façade of the hotel. The south façade is a bit different, which you can see in the night photograph I took during my visit.
There are two ways to descend to the casino level from the ground floor. You can either take an elevator or you can walk down a staircase. Since Pyongyang is not Las Vegas one should not expect to find any flashing neon signs publicizing the presence of a casino. The biggest sign you will find is a modest billboard mounted on a light box, hanging on the wall above the staircase. The only detail that might have been inspired by flashy Las Vegas signs is a single string of multicolored Christmas lights surrounding the billboard (and the upper left corner came loose).
The staircase takes you down to the lower level where you are greeted by a hostess behind a counter and a security guard that is often found 'clipping his nails' (figuratively speaking) while lounging on this chair underneath the staircase. You will also notice a couple of rows of slot machines against the walls leading to the casino. The hostess is actually guarding the entrance to the karaoke bar, which is straight ahead. The basement entertainment complex also has a restaurant, a spa that I am told offers more than massages, and of course the casino.
There is one detail on the lower level that offers some clues as to who might be behind the casino. As you take the last step down the staircase and set your foot onto the 'Welcome' mat you can't miss a 'magnificent' mural photograph of a casino in Macau. The casino is none other than the Casino Lisboa, owned by Stanley Ho. Also, the restaurant on the lower level is called the Macau restaurant. So, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that Casino Pyongyang is most likely part of the Ho casino empire.
There are some additional details that lead me to believe that the entire entertainment complex in the basement is part of the same company. You will notice surveillance cameras on the ceiling above the mural. There's good reason to believe that this surveillance coverage is part of the casino.
Also, although the casino officially starts in a separate room there are several rows of slot machines that extend into the corridors that lead up to the casino. No one seems to be playing those slots, but that's irrelevant. Their presence is enough to say that gambling starts as soon as you step on the 'Welcome' mat.
It also doesn't take a genius to figure out that the spa, which I am told is exclusively female staffed and caters to Chinese businessmen, is really just a brothel. Macau is flooded with those kind of 'massage parlors' and although they appear to be independent businesses, completely separate from the casinos, it would be a bit naïve to believe that there's no connection.
All these clues lead me to believe that the casino is what had financed the entire hotel. If I were to take a guess I'd say that Stanly Ho is just betting that there will come a day when things will drastically change in the DPRK and he just wants to make sure he's got his foot in the door. The operation of a small casino in the heart of Pyongyang is enough to create a corrupt government that will eventually push for casino gambling, when the time comes. One day casino gambling might prove to be the biggest boost to the economy of a country that might not have much else to offer to all developed neighboring countries.
Perhaps it's also not a coincidence that the casino was built on an island. I don't have a hard time imagining how the entire island might one day become the next gambling mecca of Asia, especially if there's any opposition to gambling, it might just be easier to convince the opposition that the entire island can become some kind of Special Administrative Region where gambling is allowed. This is Asia after all, and Stanley Ho is a very smart man. He started casino gambling in Macau at a time when there was nothing there. Now money is too sweet to kick the casinos out. Plus, casinos have become a 'tradition' in Macau and kicking them out would almost feel like messing with the 'cultural heritage' of the region.
North Korea is a communist country and it would stand to reason that private businesses are not allowed there. One would think that even if there were a way to open a private business, a casino would be at the bottom of the list of approved businesses. But sometimes there are loopholes that might be exploited, even in the DPRK, especially if one has enough money to convince the officials that something is a good idea.
If my information is correct, some forms of private businesses are allowed in the DPRK. I was told that foreign investors have a way to open up what is described as joint ventures. This makes a lot of sense and I can see how a casino investor

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