President Yoon Suk Yeol on October 10, 2023 called illegal gambling targeting juveniles a vicious crime and ordered a government-wide response, Yonhap News Agency reported1. The order led to a pan-government response team and a police special crackdown.
The government launched the response team on November 3, 2023 and held its first meeting at the Government Complex Gwacheon2. The team includes the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, the Korea Communications Commission, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, the National Police Agency and the National Gambling Control Commission2. It set five areas of cooperation: strong investigation and crackdown on organizations running illegal gambling sites for juveniles, rapid blocking of gambling sites and advertising, prevention education tailored to adolescents, treatment and rehabilitation for exposed juveniles, and in-depth research to establish the scale of the problem2.
The National Police Agency ran a special crackdown until March 31 of the following year on online gambling sites and advertising media that lure juveniles, and on juvenile gambling itself2. The Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Prosecutors' Office said they would actively apply charges of organizing and operating a criminal group and tax evasion to online gambling site operators2. The Korea Communications Commission, working with the Korea Communications Standards Commission, said it would review illegal sites and gambling advertising quickly and issue requests and orders for deletion and blocking to portals and social media2. The government also said it would pursue designating holdem pubs and similar venues as harmful establishments for juveniles2.
On November 15, 2023, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office said it had instructed district prosecutors' offices to respond strictly, including arresting and investigating illegal gambling site operators as a rule1.
"청소년을 상대로 한 불법 도박 개장은 국가의 미래를 좀먹는 악질 범죄"
Prosecutors said they had told dedicated organized crime prosecutors to build investigative working groups with police, to make arrest-and-investigate the rule and to seek the maximum statutory sentence for people who run or take part in gambling sites whose main users are juveniles, and for distributors who recruit juveniles as members of gambling sites1. For illegal online gambling site operators, they said they had ordered investigations that also apply tax evasion and criminal group organization charges, so that penalties are real1. The Supreme Prosecutors' Office said gambling establishment charges carry low sentences, but applying tax evasion charges allows life imprisonment when the evaded tax is 1 billion won or more, and fines of two to five times the evaded amount, allowing recovery of criminal proceeds1. It said it would track members' assets, order confiscation and preservation for collection, and seize physical property to strip criminal proceeds completely1. For juvenile gambling offenders, it said it would use conditional suspension of indictment tied to counseling and education on gambling addiction prevention, to steer young people back to normal life1.
The government cited figures on the scale of the problem. The government said juvenile illegal gambling links to secondary crimes such as drug delivery and voice phishing to raise gambling money, and that some juveniles unable to bear gambling debts have made extreme choices2.
What it means for players
The measures target illegal online gambling sites, their operators and their recruiters, not licensed gambling in South Korea, where casinos are restricted to specific locations and residents face limits. The practical effect for players is on the illegal market: sites aimed at juveniles face arrest-as-a-rule investigations, added tax evasion and criminal organization charges, asset tracing and confiscation, and site and advertising blocking through portals and social media1. Holdem pubs and similar venues face possible designation as harmful establishments for juveniles2. For juveniles caught gambling, prosecutors said conditional suspension of indictment tied to counseling and education is available1. South Korea's restrictions on gambling more broadly are set out in our guide to why gambling is so restricted in South Korea and to whether you can gamble in South Korea. Risks for young people are covered in young people and gambling, and the legal position on illegal sites in gambling scams and illegal sites in South Korea. Warning signs and support are set out in safer gambling in Asia and signs of a gambling problem.
What happens next
The police special crackdown was set to run until March 31 of the following year2. The pan-government response team said it would periodically review results and improvement measures2. No further steps beyond those dates have been reported.
Sources2 sources
- 대검 "청소년 상대 인터넷 도박 운영자 원칙적 구속수사" | 연합뉴스, yna.co.kr
- 정부 "청소년 유혹 온라인 도박 엄단"…내년 3월까지 특별단속 | 연합뉴스, yna.co.kr
