South Korea’s National Police Agency has caught around 4,715 individuals aged under 19 illegally gambling online. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

South Korea’s National Police Agency has caught 4,715 individuals aged under 19 breaking the country’s gambling laws. 

strategic crackdown on the online vertical

According to a South Korea business daily, the police caught thousands of the youngsters illegally gambling. They caught the offenders during a strategic crackdown on the online vertical over a period from September 2023 to October 2024.

Mail Business on Sunday revealed that the total amount the young market wagered hit ₩3.7bn ($2.64m), with individuals averaging ₩780,000 ($559) in bets over the crackdown’s time frame. 

Reports state a boy, 16, played baccarat online with as much as ₩190m ($136,160). 

The most common age group for breaking South Korea’s gambling laws was 17-year-olds, with 1,763 individuals making up 38% of those caught by police. Next were 16-year-olds (26%), while 18-year-olds caught stands at 19%, with 206 14-year-olds contributing 4% to the total number of lawbreakers.    

Online casino at 82% was the most popular vertical among the young perpetrators, followed by sports betting at 11%. According to media reports, police have introduced 1,733 of those arrested to “professional counseling agencies.”