South Korea is currently confronting a national emergency as illegal gambling operations permeate the country’s social fabric, with a particularly devastating impact on the younger generation.
Regulators now estimate the total value of this underground market at a staggering 96 trillion won ($65 billion), revealing that 4% of the nation’s youth have already engaged in illicit wagering.
A Rapidly Escalating Social Crisis
Data provided by the police and reported by SpoTV News illustrates the high-velocity rise of the problem. In 2024, there were 478 criminal cases and preliminary dispositions involving youth gambling; however, that figure jumped to 777 cases last year, a 62% increase.
Lawmakers, including Rep. Jeon Jeon-gi, warn that the issue has reached a critical tipping point.
“I agree that the problem of illegal gambling among young people is quite large and serious. It seems that we have entered a point where our entire society should recognize it as a problem.”
The Multi-Trillion Won Cost of Secondary Crime
The crisis extends beyond the bets themselves. Lee Jin-sik of the Supervisory Committee cautioned that the total social cost of youth gambling could reach 2 trillion won. Ha Dong-jin, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s Women and Youth Division, noted that gambling often serves as a gateway to secondary criminal activities as teenagers struggle to fund their mounting debts.
During a debate at the National Assembly, experts argued that the solution requires a “United Front”. Rather than relying solely on enforcement, participants called for collaboration between the ministries of education, welfare, and family affairs. Professor Kim Dong-hwan suggested that revitalizing school sports could be a primary preventative measure:
“I think the fastest way is to fully utilize and strengthen the existing school system to prevent illegal gambling among young people.”
New Leadership Amid Reform Efforts
The surge in illegal gambling activity in South Korea coincides with a major leadership transition at the National Gambling Control Commission (NGCC). Earlier this week, on April 28, Choi Byung-hwan took office as the commission’s tenth chairman, marking the start of its seventh term.
In his inaugural address in Gwacheon, Choi promised to build a robust protection system to shield citizens from the industry’s “harmful side effects”. However, with an illegal market worth 96 trillion won and youth participation at record highs, Choi’s tenure begins with the immense challenge of stabilizing the legal market while dismantling the spread of high-risk underground platforms.
