South Korea is confronting a dual online gambling crisis in 2026: while minors are increasingly exposed to digital betting, authorities are also pursuing criminal networks that impersonate legal brands such as Kangwon Land to operate illegal gambling websites. The response combines prevention, treatment, artificial intelligence, blocking measures, asset seizures and arrests.
The youth-focused response is built around the Youth Cyber Gambling Voluntary Reporting System, launched on May 18, 2026, and running through August 31. As of July 16, the program had received 806 voluntary reports: 629 from teenagers and 177 from parents or guardians. The first month recorded 294 cases, while the second added 512, an increase of approximately 74%.
Choi Kyo-jin
The program is coordinated by the Korean National Police Agency (KNPA), led on an acting basis by Yoo Jae-sung. Reports can be submitted through the 117 hotline, after which minors may be referred to School Police Officers, addiction assessments, counseling and treatment. Other participating institutions include the Ministry of Education, headed by Choi Kyo-jin; the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, led by Won Min-kyong; the National Gambling Control Commission (NGCC), chaired by Choi Byung Hwan; the Financial Services Commission, headed by Lee Eog-weon; and the Financial Supervisory Service. Since July, League of Legends star Lee Sang-hyeok, “Faker,” has also supported the campaign as an honorary police officer.
Won Min-kyong
The enforcement response is tougher against commercial networks. Police arrested 58 people over fake websites allegedly using the Kangwon Land name, logo and casino images. Kangwon Land, located in Jeongseon County, Gangwon Province, is South Korea’s only land-based casino legally permitted to admit South Korean citizens.
Lee Eog-weon
The fraudulent platforms used social-media advertising, deepfakes, fake official applications and promises of winnings of up to KRW90 million, alongside false return claims reaching 98%. Kangwon Land, currently led on an interim basis by Nam Han-gyu, had been detecting impersonation schemes since May 2025 and developed an artificial-intelligence monitoring system with KAIST to identify illegal online gambling activity.
South Korea’s broader cyber-gambling enforcement campaign, running from November 1, 2025, through October 31, 2026, has already resulted in 2,319 people apprehended across 1,746 cases, 154 formal arrests and KRW107.2 billion in criminal proceeds provisionally secured. A separate operation in Sabuk in May 2026 resulted in six arrests and the seizure of 18 electronic devices.
