Illegal Gambling Infiltrating Daily Life Amid COVID-19 Recession

Economic Hardships and Temptations
Also Contribute to Living Only at Home Environment

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] Kim Jong-seon (42, pseudonym), who runs a cafe in Seoul, fell into online illegal gambling after the cafe's sales declined due to strengthened social distancing measures. At first, he placed small bets on illegal sports toto games at the recommendation of an acquaintance and even won some money. However, as time went by, the days he lost increased compared to the days he won, and he was only able to break free from the temptation of gambling after losing about 10 million won. He lamented, "When business was bad, I started gambling with the intention of at least earning living expenses, but only ended up accumulating more debt."

As the COVID-19 pandemic prolonged and caused economic difficulties, the number of people falling into illegal gambling has increased. Additionally, due to distancing policies, people are spending more time indoors, which has led to increased use of smartphones and laptops, creating an environment where it is easy to fall into online illegal gambling. Illegal gambling advertisements actively circulating online are also tempting people who are financially strained. On Telegram, thousands of posts promoting illegal gambling sites are uploaded daily in chat rooms advertising various sites. Moreover, site operators individually send messages to users encouraging them to participate in gambling. One gambling site operator said, "These days, many people are experiencing the thrill of betting," adding, "The number of people signing up who have nothing to do at home due to COVID-19 is increasing."

According to the Korea Center on Gambling Problems, the number of people seeking gambling recovery services has increased every year, from 7,892 in 2019 to 9,063 last year. Furthermore, the number of people using illegal gambling is overwhelmingly higher than those using legal gambling, with over 85% of those who sought services having engaged in illegal gambling. Since illegal gambling mostly takes place underground and away from others' eyes, it is difficult to estimate how many people actually bet on illegal gambling. The Gambling Industry Integrated Supervision Commission estimates the scale of illegal gambling to have reached 81.5 trillion won in 2019. Experts emphasize the need for strict punishment for illegal activities such as the establishment and advertisement of illegal gambling sites.

Professor Lee Geon-su of the Department of Police Science at Baekseok University explained, "Cybercrime has been on the rise due to COVID-19, and illegal gambling is expected to increase significantly as well," adding, "Strengthening punishment for crimes related to illegal gambling site establishment and advertisement will raise awareness and help prevent such illegal activities."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.