South Korea Youth Cyber Gambling Self-Reports Reach 1,777

South Korea’s National Police Agency has announced that 1,777 youths self-reported their involvement in cyber gambling during a special reporting period that ran from May 18 to the end of August.

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The effort was conducted by the government’s task force comprising the Ministries of Education, Gender Equality, and Family, and the Integrated Supervisory Committee for Specified Businesses, as well as the Financial Services Commission and Financial Supervisory Service. The program was devised to motivate young people who were gambling online to speak up and seek assistance.

After the receipt of self-reports, interviews were done by SROs and professional counselors to determine the seriousness of the gambling problems. Based on the results, the youths were referred to customized healing programs at specialized institutions. After that, the Guidance Review Committee looked at factors such as gambling amounts, attitude of repentance, and completion of healing programs to decide on leniency or post-management.

Reasons for Self-Reporting

Of the total 1,777 individuals who self-reported, 1,183 youths representing 66.6% attributed motivation for self-reporting as a result of education and publicity from SROs. Media promotion, including the Internet and posters was a reason given by 243 persons representing 13.7%. Friend or acquaintance referrals accounted for 180 people or 10.1%, whereas school promotions/guidance contributed 110 individuals or 6.2%.

Regarding types of reports, 1,501 individuals or 84.5% constituted self-reports, while 276 people or 15.5% were reported by guardians. High school students numbered 963 people, or 54.2%, middle school students 813 people, or 45.8%, and elementary school students 1 person, or 0.1%.

In Chungcheongbuk, 116 youths, including 93 middle school students and 23 high school students, collectively self-reported due to SROs’ promotional activities. Among these, a 15-year-old male student influenced other students, resulting in 30 self-reports being filed by one school. In Busan, a 15-year-old male student who bet 3.6 million Korean won for eight months came across a self-reporting poster and got five friends to file for self-reporting.

Treatment and Site Blocking Measures

As of now, initial interviews have been completed for 1,504 of the 1,777 self-reported youths. Among them, 1,430 were referred to specialized institutions for treatment. The police stated that improvement effects were confirmed in youths who completed healing services from the Korea Gambling Problem Prevention and Healing Center.

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Of the 222 youths who completed healing programs, 166 were granted leniency by police station-level Guidance Review Committees. This included 147 released without charge and 19 requested for summary trials, while 56 were charged and referred.

The police also requested the Korea Media and Communications Standards Commission to block or delete 464 illegal gambling site addresses identified during interviews. They also addressed illegal private lending harm to youths. Investigations revealed that illegal lenders used platforms like X, formerly Twitter, or Telegram to loan money to youths at high interest rates. If debts were unpaid, they sent messages to friends and family stating that they sold the information due to gambling debt.

Early Intervention Emphasized

According to an official at the National Police Agency, cyber gambling is rampant among youth, and most require assistance due to gambling addiction. Early intervention on gambling addiction leads to greater efficiency. It is crucial to detect and treat gambling-involved youths early to prevent secondary crimes.

The case in Ulsan highlights the severity of the issue. A mother raising a minor son reported that she was being assaulted by her son, who demanded allowance. After a school resource officer interviewed the son, it was confirmed that he had been habitually gambling. The gambling amount reached 200 million Korean won over two years. The student reported himself for cyber gambling to the police, who connected him to the Busan-Ulsan Gambling Problem Prevention and Healing Center and a psychiatric hospital for treatment.

In Seoul, an SRO uncovered and dismantled a gambling circle of 14 students, including 13 middle school students and 1 high school student, who committed fraud and theft after exhausting their gambling funds. The police connected them to the Korea Gambling Problem Prevention and Healing Center’s Central Center, with SROs providing intensive post-management.

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Source: The Chosun Daily