2% of Elementary School Children in South Korea Gambling, Police Says

Children in South Korea may be exposed to the harms of gambling at a very early age, according to a new survey, which indicates that 2% of elementary school children have experienced gambling in some form.

Youths in South Korea are Increasingly Gambling, Peer Pressure a Factor 

The percentage is a 0.6% increase from last year, but it could also be the result of calibrated reporting criteria and more extensive outreach by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, which ran and shared the numbers. 

The newest numbers are the result of a survey conducted between October and December last year, and police officers spoke with a total of 34,779 students in Seoul, focusing on elementary, middle, and high school students exclusively. 

Another worthwhile upward trend was the number of schoolchildren who had witnessed gambling, with 21% of interviewed children reporting witnessing gambling activities among other people their age. 

Peer pressure is a crucial factor for driving children into gambling, with 40% of youths who have experienced gambling personally reporting doing so after someone their age told them to try. 

Even more worryingly still, three-quarters of all youth gamblers were gambling online, and oftentimes on esports events. Online gambling is prohibited in the country, so the fact that children can engage with this activity online is a red flag for law enforcement.

Late last month, South Korea busted a $1.4 billion illegal gambling ring, with 23 people arrested, including the ring leader.