From eradicating illegal sports gambling to sponsoring sports for the disabled...Sports Toto, Model of Public Utilities

Dec 23, 2024

Sports Toto-Daegu Catholic University Business Agreement Ceremony and Healing Camp Photo courtesy of Sports Toto Korea

Sports Toto has established itself as a key source of funds for the National Sports Promotion Fund and is playing a major role in the development of Korean sports. Sports Toto, a sports promotion voting ticket issued by the National Sports Promotion Agency and entrusted by Sports Toto Korea, is a representative example of public service projects along with 23 years of achievements.

In 2001, Sports Toto took its first step toward successfully hosting the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup and raising funds for sports development. The accumulated profits raised over the next 23 years amounted to about 18.9 trillion won. The proceeds raised in this way are being used so that all citizens can enjoy sports equally through fostering sports for all, professional sports, and supporting sports for the disabled. In particular, the proceeds are used in various fields, such as expanding public sports facilities, fostering national athletes, and sports research and development, supporting the development of the Korean sports industry.

However, Sports Toto is sometimes confused with illegal sports gambling and is considered a negative perception. In response, Sports Toto Korea is making active efforts to correct misunderstandings and establish a healthy leisure culture. To this end, Sports Toto is conducting a consolidation program, a gambling addiction prevention campaign linked to related organizations such as the Korea Gambling Problem Prevention and Healing Center, and consolidation education for sales owners, workers, and organizations. Among them, the healthy program, an online system that prevents users from being overly immersed, consists of 'self-diagnosis evaluation', 'self-purchase plan', 'self-rest plan', and a healthy purchase pledge program. In other words, it has prepared a device that allows users to check and coordinate their purchasing habits on their own. In this regard, about 139,000 people participated in the self-diagnosis evaluation from January to November this year, and 170,000 people maintained the self-purchase plan, and many users are practicing a healthy purchasing culture. In particular, in June, Sports Toto signed a joint development agreement with the Daegu Catholic University Art Therapy Center to prevent gambling addiction and conducted counseling and healing activities for users. In September of the same year, a healing camp for gambling addiction risk groups was held and a healing program through art and music was successfully operated.

Provided poster for eradicating illegal sports gambling among youth=Sports Toto Korea

This year, Sports Toto held a stadium on-site promotion called 'Shout of My Support with Sports Toto' jointly conducted with the Korea Professional Football Federation and domestic professional baseball clubs. The promotion was designed to introduce Sports Toto, inform the health and public interest of Sports Toto to visitors who visited the stadium, and even convey the risk of illegal sports gambling. A total of 25 on-site campaigns in 2024 (16 co-hosted by the K-League and 9 co-hosted by the KBO club) were held, and about 65,000 professional sports fans participated, making great achievements in Sports Toto's public interest and strengthening communication with sports fans. In addition, Sports Toto's official release site 'Betman' held an event related to the K-League. The event was held for customers who purchased proto-recorded products or newly signed up for Batman for each round of the K-League, and as a result, it attracted about 37,000 new real-name members.

Illegal sports gambling targeting youth is emerging as a social problem. In response, Sports Toto has been steadily conducting promotional activities to eradicate illegal sports gambling among youth. This year, it produced a public interest campaign video featuring Ahn Jae-joon of the Pohang Steelers as a messenger to eradicate illegal sports gambling. The video warns of the reality that teenagers can be easily exposed to illegal sports gambling, emphasizing the interests and guidance of adults and responsible choices of teenagers, and actively spreading through stadium billboards, outdoor advertisements, and social media, contributing to raising awareness of illegal sports gambling.

Photo 3. Photo courtesy of the scholarship to the National Sports Festival for Students with Disabilities in May=Sports Toto Korea

Sports Toto is supporting sports for the disabled and socially vulnerable through the fund raised. Sports Toto signed an agreement with the Korea Sports Association for the Disabled and promised to sponsor scholarships for students with disabilities, and in May this year, it delivered scholarships to athletes participating in the National Sports Festival for the Disabled. It is also helping to overcome social alienation through sports by sponsoring sports events for gambling addiction recoveries and youth from multicultural families. Sports Toto is not just a voting rights business. It is a national policy project that provides a healthy leisure culture through sports and leads the development of sports in Korea with the profits raised.

Sports Toto's path over the past 23 years has been in line with the history of Korean sports. Sports Toto's move toward sports promotion and social contribution is expected to open a brighter future for Korean sports in the future. An official from Sports Toto Korea said "We are doing our best to make the Sports Toto project a center of sports development while providing people with pleasure and sound leisure culture." We ask for more attention to Sports Toto's public interest value and performance."

nogoon@sportschosun.com