South Korea Youth Gambling Campaign Gets 806 Self-Reports

A police initiative offering leniency to young gamblers in South Korea has resulted in hundreds of teenagers coming forward, highlighting concerns over an online gambling problem that can start with small promotional offers before developing into substantial debt.

Since the campaign launched on May 18, police have received 806 self-reports. The first month produced 294 reports, followed by another 512 during the second month.

Under the initiative, people aged 19 or younger who acknowledge gambling activity by August 31 can avoid formal punishment and instead receive a warning or another lenient measure. Without the campaign’s leniency, a formal gambling offence can result in a fine of up to 10 million won.

The youth prevention campaign also has support from one of South Korea’s most prominent esports figures. Professional gamer Lee Sang-hyeok, known as Faker, became an ambassador for the initiative in July.

Online Gambling Often Marks the First Experience

The scale of the issue is not necessarily reflected in the broader teenage population.

A study by the Korea Problem Gambling Agency involving 13,481 students from fourth to 12th grade found that 4% had gambled. Among students who had already gambled, however, almost one in five continued the activity six months after their first experience.

The online environment appears to play a significant role. According to the study, 82% of teenagers who had gambled said their first experience occurred online.

Illegal gambling operators can reach young users through advertising placed on websites they already use, including webtoon and illegal streaming platforms. Unsolicited text messages and social media are also used to promote gambling sites.

More than half of the students surveyed, or 54%, said they had encountered gambling advertisements.

Promotional Offers Can Lead to Growing Debt

Some gambling promotions are designed to make the initial wager appear relatively low-risk. Certain offers provide new users with 30,000 won, while others require an initial deposit before winnings can be withdrawn.

A successful early payout can change how a young person views gambling, potentially making a small wager appear to be an easy way to generate money.

The financial consequences can then become considerably more serious.

Workers at the Korea Gambling Addiction Treatment Center have encountered teenagers with debts reaching tens of millions of won, with some cases involving amounts as high as 100 million won. Such sums can be far beyond what young people could repay through allowances or part-time earnings.

The consequences can also extend beyond financial difficulties.

Treatment workers have reported cases in which teenagers involved in gambling turned to offences including theft, scams and voice-phishing schemes to obtain money. Some cases involved fraudulent secondhand-marketplace listings, where teenagers received deposits for expensive products but failed to deliver them.

Early Gambling May Develop Into Longer-Term Behaviour

Another concern is whether gambling that starts during adolescence continues later in life.

The treatment centre has reported that adults who seek assistance after first gambling as teenagers generally describe the behaviour as something that continued over time rather than disappearing before returning later.

This has added urgency to efforts to intervene while gambling behaviour is still developing.

Prevention Efforts Extend Beyond Police Campaign

The self-report initiative forms part of a wider effort to strengthen youth gambling prevention in South Korea.

A proposed National Assembly measure would require elementary, middle and high schools to provide gambling prevention education at least once every semester.

Current legislation requires prevention education but does not clearly specify how often it must be delivered, resulting in differences between schools. The proposed measure would also establish a more structured approach to the content of that education.

Authorities are also targeting another channel through which young people can encounter illegal gambling: websites carrying gambling advertisements.

Since May 11, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has ordered 34 copyright-infringing websites to be shut down. Some of these platforms are illegal streaming sites where gambling advertising can appear.

However, removing individual websites does not eliminate the wider distribution network. Teenagers can still encounter illegal gambling through social media and personal recommendations.

The police campaign is intended to encourage young gamblers to come forward before their activity develops into more serious legal and financial consequences. With 806 self-reports already recorded, the number suggests that reducing the threat of punishment may be encouraging young people to seek leniency.

The self-report deadline is August 31, leaving the authorities with a limited period to encourage young gamblers to use the available opportunity.