According the Reuters gambling is the new growth industry in Korea in these lean economic times:

Casualties of the economic slowdown in South Korea are turning to gambling on the longshort of hitting the jackpot.

Gambling is a huge growth industry in South Korea, where billions of dollars are gambled every year. Far from curbing the nation’s gambling appetite, the recession is increasingly driving many South Koreans to strike it rich.

Click here to watch a full video report from Reuters on the surge in gambling in Korea.