As part of a preemptive action ahead of the World Cup 2026, the Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC) announced that it has blocked 1,280 illegal betting websites....
South Korean police arrest 2,319 in cyber gambling operation
The National Police Agency of South Korea (KNPA) shared on June 28 that it had arrested 2,319 people as part of a seven-month investigation targeting cyber gambling and large-scale illegal betting operators.
According to the authorities, the operations began back in November 2025 in an effort to act against large gambling platforms and top-level operators that had been processing billions of won in bets. It’s expected that the crackdown will continue until October 31, 2026.
Police conducted 1,746 investigations to make the arrests, detained 154 individuals, and confiscated 107.2 billion in Korean won. Authorities shared that they used measures like tracing foreign vehicles and deposit claims connected to illegal funds to improve enforcement action, seizing more than twice the amount that was confiscated during the same period in 2025, which comprised 46.5 billion won.
Park Woo-hyun, cyber investigation review offer at the Korean National Police Agency, commented:
“Cyber gambling is a cross-border crime that evolves across borders based on enormous criminal proceeds. Police will actively arrest gambling website ringleaders, and suppliers while tracking criminal proceeds to the end to bring them to justice under the law.”
The investigation also included collaboration efforts with the Philippines and Cambodia, where many of the criminals had fled. The police were able to detain 75 suspects, of whom 15 were main figures in running the illegal platforms.
Additionally, it was revealed that many of the websites used similar technologies to operate and offer their services, leading authorities to improve investigations into organizations suspected of creating illegal online gambling platforms.
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