More than 220,000 South Koreans visited casinos in Macao and the Philippines last year and lost a total of 2.3 trillion won (US$ 1.9 billion), a lawmaker said Tuesday, calling for government measures to curb overseas gambling.

South Korea strictly regulates gambling within the country for its citizens, even though it has one casino open to locals. Visits to casinos overseas are not regulated.

Korean visitors to casinos in Macao and the Philippines averaged 15,312 and 3,127 a month last year, respectively, according to the report by the National Gaming Control Association submitted for an annual parliamentary audit.

"The outflow of national wealth to overseas gambling in Macao and the Philippines was nearly double that of the culture ministry's 2011 budget of 1.2 trillion won," said Rep. Kim Jae-yoon of the Democratic Party, who released the report. "The government should prepare measures to handle (overseas gambling)."

Of the 2.3 trillion won lost by Korean gamblers in the two Asian countries, nearly 80 percent came from VIP clients, the report said, noting that more than half of Korean visitors to Macao went there specifically to gamble.

The most games most by Koreans were bacarrat, blackjack and slot machines, it noted. (Yonhap News)