Illegal Gambling Den Seized in Central Seoul with Annual Bets Totaling 62 Billion Won

1 Person Detained, 13 Referred Without Detention
Police Plan to Request Additional Warrants

Seoul Gangseo Police Station

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] A large-scale illegal gambling den worth 60 billion won, operated in the heart of Seoul, was caught by the police. The police are expanding the investigation by arresting dozens of the owner and gamblers.

On the 17th, the Gangseo Police Station in Seoul announced that they had sent 14 people, including the owner Mr. A, to the prosecution on charges of opening a gambling den, gambling, and habitual gambling. Among them, Mr. B, who did not cooperate with the police investigation, was sent to detention. Including those related who have not yet been sent, the total number of people booked reaches 41.

They are accused of operating an illegal gambling den and habitual gambling at a Hold'em pub in Magok-dong, Gangseo-gu, Seoul. This gambling den operated by using chips instead of cash for gambling and converting them back into cash.

According to the police investigation, about 10 of those booked were found to have divided roles such as dealers, customer recruiters, and money exchangers to operate the gambling den. The remaining 30 or so were habitual gamblers who frequented the establishment.

Earlier, when multiple 112 emergency calls were made from the establishment since early this year, the police applied for a financial account warrant from the court to investigate the flow of money, and in this process, it was confirmed that about 62 billion won worth of money had circulated in transactions over the past year alone.

A police official explained, "The investigation is still ongoing, and as specific charges are revealed, we plan to apply for additional arrest warrants for several people."

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