Police Conduct Special Crackdown on Illegal Cyber Gambling Targeting Youth

The National Police Agency's National Investigation Headquarters announced on the 26th that it will conduct a special crackdown for six months until March 31 next year on online gambling sites and advertising media that lure youth, as well as on youth gambling.

Every year, the police have carried out focused crackdowns on illegal cyber gambling, arresting operators of illegal gambling sites and high-stakes, habitual gamblers. Since March, they have been conducting a "Focused Crackdown on Four Major Malicious Cyber Crimes," and through last year's "Focused Crackdown on Illegal Cyber Gambling," they arrested 2,916 cyber gambling offenders, detaining 163 of them. Given the recent heightened social awareness of youth cyber gambling addiction, the police have decided to conduct a special crackdown focusing on youth as well.

The main targets of this special crackdown are illegal gambling sites using casual games and sports events, which are frequently accessed by youth, illegal content sites that advertise these and serve as access points, and advertisements through personal broadcasting platforms popular among youth. Judicial sanctions will also be enforced against youth involved in cyber gambling. Youth who engage in gambling will be referred to the guidance review committee established at police stations and, depending on the severity of the offense, will be subject to summary judgment requests or prosecution. In particular, youth who participate in operating gambling sites or recruit friends, seniors, or juniors to engage in gambling will be strictly punished.

Furthermore, the police will promote healing, rehabilitation, and prevention regarding youth gambling. Youth offenders will be provided with the "Early Intervention Service for Gambling Problems," a collaborative program between the Cyber Investigation Bureau and the Korea Center on Gambling Problems Prevention and Healing, offering them an opportunity to recover from gambling issues. Additionally, through "Cybercrime Prevention Instructors," composed of excellent cyber investigators, the police will strengthen cyber gambling prevention education for students to prevent youth from falling into cyber gambling from the start. Gambling sites under investigation will be reported to the Korea Communications Standards Commission to block youth access to gambling sites. The police plan to award outstanding contributors with special promotions regardless of their function, whether cyber or criminal, through this special crackdown.

A representative from the National Investigation Headquarters of the National Police Agency stated, "Since cyber gambling hinders the physical and emotional development of youth, it is important that they do not come into contact with it from the beginning," adding, "We hope that each household will guide their children not to engage in cyber gambling and support recovery through professional counseling agencies if their children are already involved in cyber gambling."

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