South Korea Introduces Antigambling Cyber Teams

Online betting seems to be very problematic in South Korea. The Local police continues its fight against gambling activity after a recent celebrity arrest. The National Police Agency declared that they officially started a number of cyber investigations to track illegal online gambling, comprising sexual violence…

…Local Korean squads have been formed in different locations of the country, involving the capital Seoul and Busan.

The nation is well-known for its strict gambling policy. It doesn’t permit any kind of betting and works hard to prevent citizens from internationally operated sites. In spite of stringent regulation, the Communications Standards Commission has reported a considerable number of requests against the betting activity. According to the statement, there were 120,000 requests for inappropriate content with 34,000 casino related reports.

Punishable by Law

South Korea is a country with strict punishments for online casino operators, as well as similar prohibitions for individuals who engage in casino activity…

…The same rules apply to all betting sites except one land-based casino. There is no difference if the betting activity occurs outside the country. However, more habitual acts are targeted more than momentary occurrences.

Last Thursday, we saw efficient punishments in South Korean practice. Former K-pop star, Shoo, confessed to habitual gambling in Seoul Local District Court after she was charged with the offense in December 2018. The Korean celebrity was under investigation for losing a considerable amount of money (about $703,000) at Macau casinos between 2016-2018.

Shooˈs story was revealed after she was accused by money lenders for repayment failure. She was sued for KRW600m in loans spent at Seoul casino for foreigners. As she comes from Japan, Shoo was able to participate in overseas gambling.

The Sentence

As a result, prosecutors seek a one-year prison sentence for the celebrity. The official hearing will take place on February 19. The K-pop star declared regret for her actions and added:

“I will meaningfully accept the punishment given to me.”

As soon as the Shooˈs case was been revealed, the local police set in motion antigambling squads. The first cyber groups are already on terrain investigating serious betting violations. Each local citizen who considers betting activity will learn from the Shooˈs case and stay away from illegal gambling.

Source:

“South Korean police form new anti-gambling cyber squads”, Steven Stadbrooke, calvinayre.com, February 8, 2019.