South Korean authorities have significantly intensified their fight against illegal online gambling, investigating more than 2,300 individuals during a nationwide enforcement campaign that targeted major betting operations both inside and outside the country.
As reported by local media, the National Office of Investigation under the National Police Agency (NPA) said the seven-month crackdown, launched in November, led to investigations involving 2,319 suspects across 1,746 cases. A total of 154 individuals were arrested, while authorities temporarily seized KRW107.2bn in alleged illegal profits before formal indictments, more than double the amount confiscated during a similar operation a year earlier.
The investigation focused primarily on operators of large-scale gambling websites rather than individual bettors. Police also sought to disrupt the technical infrastructure supporting these operations after discovering that many of the illegal websites were built using the same underlying platform. Investigators are now working to identify the developers and suppliers responsible for designing and distributing the software used by multiple gambling syndicates.
One of the largest cases uncovered involved a Vietnam-based online gambling platform that allegedly processed more than KRW1.3trn in wagers before being dismantled by the Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency. Authorities seized KRW38.7bn in suspected illegal proceeds from that operation alone and arrested five people connected to the network.
The crackdown also involved international cooperation. Working alongside foreign law enforcement agencies, South Korean police located 75 suspects who had fled overseas, with 15 of them already repatriated to face investigation.
Police said enforcement efforts will continue through the second half of the year as authorities pursue additional gambling syndicates operating across borders.
South Korea prohibits most forms of gambling, with operators facing up to five years in prison and players also subject to criminal penalties under the country's gambling laws
