South Korea Seizes 107.2 Billion Won in Illegal Gambling Operation
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SEOUL: South Korean police have arrested 2,319 people in a major cyber gambling crackdown targeting illegal online operators.
The operation increases pressure on gambling networks that process large volumes of online bets and move suspects or proceeds across borders.
The National Police Agency’s National Office of Investigation said the arrests came across 1,746 cases during a seven-month operation that began in November 2025. Police also detained 154 people and confiscated 107.2 billion won in alleged criminal proceeds.
Police Target Large Gambling Platforms
The crackdown focused on top-level operators of large illegal gambling sites, including platforms that handled bets ranging from hundreds of billions of won to more than 1 trillion won. Authorities said some suspects had fled overseas or moved frequently between South Korea and other countries.
The seized amount was more than double the total confiscated during the same period last year, when police recovered 46.5 billion won. Authorities attributed the increase to stronger pre-indictment seizure and collection measures, including efforts to trace foreign vehicles and deposit claims linked to suspected gambling proceeds.
The figures continue a broader South Korean enforcement push against illegal online gambling. Police had previously arrested an illegal gambling ring running 70 billion won sites, showing how authorities have been targeting both operators and the infrastructure behind major betting networks.
One case handled by the Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency involved 63 arrests linked to a gambling site based in Vietnam that allegedly handled 1.31 trillion won in bets. Five people were detained in that case, and police confiscated 38.7 billion won in proceeds.
Overseas Suspects Extradited
The Jeju Special Self-Governing Provincial Police Agency also arrested 17 people connected to an illegal gambling site with offices in Vietnam and South Korea. Nine people were detained, and authorities said 13.2 billion won was confiscated.
South Korean police also worked with law enforcement agencies in the Philippines and Cambodia, where some suspects had fled. Authorities secured custody of 75 overseas suspects, including 15 key figures accused of operating gambling sites from bases in those countries.
Police said the illegal gambling sites linked to several arrested groups appeared to use similar technologies. That finding is expected to widen the investigation toward specialized companies suspected of producing and supplying illegal online gambling platforms.
Park Woo-hyun, a cyber investigation review officer at the Korean National Police Agency, said police would continue targeting the people behind the sites. “Cyber gambling is a cross-border crime that evolves across borders based on enormous criminal proceeds. Police will actively arrest gambling website ringleaders, and suppliers while tracking criminal proceeds to the end to bring them to justice under the law”, he said.
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Crackdown to Continue Through October
Police said people in their 30s made up the largest share of those arrested, at 24.7%. People in their 20s accounted for 23.6%, while those in their 40s made up 22.1%.
Authorities also identified differences in gambling activity by age group. People in their 20s and 30s were more likely to participate in Sports Toto, while those aged 50 and older were more commonly linked to horse racing and bicycle racing.
The operation is expected to continue until October 31, 2026. Police said they will keep pursuing extraditions through a transnational crime response task force in the second half of the year.
The next phase of the investigation is likely to focus on ringleaders, overseas operators and technology suppliers. Authorities said they will continue tracking criminal proceeds tied to illegal gambling sites as part of the wider enforcement campaign.
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