From November 2024 to October 2025, the South Korean police arrested 5,196 people in connection with illegal online gambling, where 314 people were detained and $123.5 billion was recovered. Cybercrime units worked to obtain digital evidence and identify illegal gambling activity, as the National Investigation Headquarters reported handling 3,544 cases during the investigation. The demographics
From November 2024 to October 2025, the South Korean police arrested 5,196 people in connection with illegal online gambling, where 314 people were detained and $123.5 billion was recovered.
Cybercrime units worked to obtain digital evidence and identify illegal gambling activity, as the National Investigation Headquarters reported handling 3,544 cases during the investigation.
The demographics show that most suspects were between 20 and 30 years old, of which 1,514 were in their 20s, representing 25.3% of the total cases, and 1,489 were in their 30s, comprising 24.9%. The numbers were followed by 1,366 arrests of people in their 40s, 800 arrests in their 50s, 306 arrests of people 60 and older, and finally 417 teenagers.
The types of gambling also varied between age groups. Sports betting was more common among people who were in their 20s as well as in the 30s age group, while game-based online casinos were more popular not only among representatives of the 20s and 30s, but also among the 40s age group.
A pressing issue is youth gambling, with the Korean National Police Agency reporting 7,153 youth gambling cases. Depending on how serious the issue is, the offender may get a warning, release, or a referral for further action. In some cases, with the consent of both the teenager and a parent, the user can be sent to counseling services for problem gamblers.
Illegal gambling operators outside of South Korea were also a huge part of the investigation, with 97 people running operations arrested from Cambodia, China, the Philippines, and Vietnam. An additional 23 individuals were arrested for operating websites from the Philippines.
The police aim to use specialist cyber investigation teams, mobile squads, and criminal laws to detect offenders, as they plan to continue the crackdown until October 2026.