Don't know about North Koreans but these Chinese do gamble like crazy. Gambling is absolutely forbidden in China but they have some local gambling dens where they gamble illegally. The people who stays around the border goes to vietnam, myanmar or other neighboring countries to gamble. There are small citizens near the border that has turned into mini las vegas with large casinos, alcohol and what not. The more reach people in China goes to Macau and Singapore to gamble.
So no, strict regulations don't stop people from gambling.