KRA to Eradicate Illegal Horse Racing

2024 Illegal Horse Racing Response Plan
Enhanced Monitoring and Surveillance Intensification

The Korea Racing Authority (KRA) has decided to consolidate its enforcement capabilities by enhancing its crackdown system to eradicate illegal horse racing.

On the 19th, the KRA announced that it will implement the "2024 Illegal Horse Racing Response Plan" to prevent harm to the public caused by illegal horse racing.

The main initiatives include ▲advancing the monitoring and enforcement system against illegal horse racing ▲establishing prevention publicity and a public participation reporting system ▲strengthening cooperation with related organizations. A KRA official explained, "Ahead of the full-scale launch of online betting ticket sales in June, the KRA plans to thoroughly monitor illegal horse racing and similar activities and consolidate enforcement capabilities to ensure the successful establishment of online sales and the creation of a healthy leisure culture."

A Korea Racing Authority official is monitoring at the Illegal Horse Racing Crackdown Situation Room.

Focusing on the fact that over 90% of illegal horse racing occurs online, the KRA will introduce an advanced online illegal activity enforcement system incorporating the latest ICT. In addition to strengthening identity verification procedures, video data will be encrypted and watermarked to prevent unauthorized leakage of race footage and payout screens, enabling tracking of leakage routes. The KRA will also enhance ICT-based enforcement activities by continuously operating an automatic illegal horse racing site detection program and extracting website data through analysis of spam messages promoting illegal horse racing.

There is also a system that allows many citizens to directly participate in eradicating illegal horse racing. The "Illegal Horse Racing Reporting Reward System," which provides rewards to citizens who report illegal horse racing sites and promotional posts, is in continuous operation. Furthermore, through the operation of the "Public Participation Monitoring Group," the KRA aims to raise public awareness of illegal horse racing from the citizens' perspective.

Judicial actions against illegal horse racing operators and related parties will also be strengthened. The KRA plans to actively request investigative authorities to strictly punish not only illegal horse racing operators and promoters but also those who use such services through cooperation with investigative agencies. In addition to strengthening monitoring of new types of illegal and similar activities that have been rapidly emerging ahead of the pilot operation of online betting ticket sales, the KRA will promptly initiate judicial procedures upon discovering violations of related laws. To swiftly block illegal horse racing sites that evade enforcement by operating overseas servers and other sophisticated methods, the KRA will also pursue multifaceted cooperation plans with related organizations such as the Korea Communications Standards Commission.

Song Daeyoung, Head of the KRA Racing Headquarters, stated, "As the racing operator responsible for fair and sound horse racing, the KRA will make every possible effort within its authority and responsibility to eradicate illegal horse racing," adding, "To eliminate the rapidly spreading illegal horse racing, the public's active interest and participation in reporting are essential."

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