South Korean Police Charge 19 People with Running $11M Illegal Gambling Site

South Korean police officers have charged 19 individuals with operating an illegal gambling website that generated some $11 million.

The news agency Yonhap reported that the Gyeonggi Southern Provincial Police Agency’s Cyber Investigation Unit has handed the case over to the prosecution service.

South Korean Police: Ringleader Abusive to Casino Managers

The police said the alleged ringleader is aged between 50 and 59. This individual and three others were charged with operating illegal gambling dens.

The police also indicted 16 others, including suspected online casino operators, brick-and-mortar casino administrators, and account managers.

Officers think that some 1,300 customers used the group’s gambling facilities. The police say that the ringleader commissioned the development of an illegal gambling website. A spokesperson added that the site provided online gambling games such as slots and baccarat.

The spokesperson said the site went online in June 2022 and remained operational until July last year.

The platform proved popular, leading the ringleader to open website-themed, brick-and-mortar gambling centers in nine locations nationwide.

Police said they had uncovered illegal casinos linked to the site in Gyeonggi Province’s Pyeongtaek and Hwaseong, as well as Incheon, South Chungcheong Province, and Gangwon Province.

Officers said that the alleged ringleader coerced and abused the casinos’ managers, as well as “pocketing most of the operating profits.”

The spokesperson added that if the casinos became unprofitable, the ringleader would summon them to his “headquarters” to “shower them in abusive language and insults.”

Illegal Gambling Sites Users Warned They Could Face Criminal Charges

Officers said they began probing the website and its operators late last year. They think the ringleader reinvested most of the profits from the website and casinos into new gambling projects.

Officers believe the ringleader spent the rest of the money on his living expenses.

The spokesperson said investigators hope to recover the proceeds of the crimes. But they admitted that they were still in the process of calculating the exact financial value of the gambling network.

Police warned the public that users of gambling sites are also subject to criminal punishment under the terms of South Korean law.

Most forms of gambling are strictly outlawed in South Korea, although the government allows citizens to gamble at two venues: a casino in Gangwon Province and a horse racing track on the outskirts of Seoul.

Despite these strict regulations, illegal betting sites and underground casinos continue to operate in the country.

Earlier this month, police in Seoul charged the TV personality and comedian Lee Jin-ho with several gambling offences.

Investigators think the star borrowed money from A-list stars like BTS’ Jimin. Lee then proceeded to spend the money the stars gave him in illegal online casinos, police added.

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 South Korean police officers have charged 19 individuals with operating an illegal gambling website that generated some $11 million. The news agency Yonhap reported that the Gyeonggi Southern Provincial Police Agency’s Cyber Investigation Unit has handed the case over to the prosecution service. South Korean Police: Ringleader Abusive to Casino Managers The police said the
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