South Korea: Police Busts Illegal Gambling Ring, Arrests Hundreds

In a major operation against illegal gambling, police in South Korea detained operators, while also arresting close to 200 gamblers.

Law Enforcement Investigates Illegal Gambling Ring

The unlawful gambling operation reportedly was launched by a man in his 50s in July last year. Recognized as the mastermind behind the operation, the man engaged with an IT expert to develop an online gambling platform and started to grow the operation by hiring employees. Some of the workers of the illegal gambling ring were reportedly tied to violent gangs in Daejeon, as reported by Korea JoongAng Daily.

Since the founding of the illegal gambling platform, through March this year, the operation grew exponentially, surpassing 3,000 users. Notably, the money wagered through the unlawful platform hit 108.4 billion won ($7.8 million), a figure that is a testament to the scale of the operation. Consumers ranged from office workers, students, seniors and even in some cases teenagers.

Law enforcement was tipped off regarding the unlawful operation earlier this year. Following the tip, police in Daejeon conducted a three-month-long investigation that involved surveillance of the illegal gambling ring’s headquarters, tracking members and collecting other viable intel.

The investigation uncovered the scalability of the illegal gambling platform that has established departments required for the running of the operation, including call center services, a financial team that handled deposits and withdrawals and other vital structures. Not only did the online gambling ring operate from Daejeon but it is suspected the culprits considered growing their offering to other regions across the country.

Hundreds of Arrests Made While Investigation Continues

Following the investigation, the Daejeon Metropolitan Police Agency confirmed Thursday it conducted raids, resulting in the arrest of 13 people suspected of participating in the unlawful gambling operation. Another 191 gamblers were also detained during the law enforcement’s operation, while 720 million won ($516,000) in suspected proceeds from the unlawful activities were seized.

An official of the Daejeon Metropolitan Police Agency said on the matter: “We have already processed many of those apprehended and plan to continue tracking additional accomplices and members involved in the gambling site to dismantle the operation entirely.”

It is currently unclear how many further accomplices may be detained while the investigation into the illegal gambling ring continues. Out of the 13 operators, 11 are facing charges related to the operation of a gambling venue. While the others were released, they were initially booked in on gambling-related charges.