The Gyeonggi Province Office of Education has forged a partnership with South Korea’s Gambling Control Commission (KGCC) to combat youth gambling. This agreement was formalized through a memorandum of understanding signed at Osan Seongho Middle School on Monday.
The initiative seeks to address the increasing exposure of schoolchildren to gambling through smartphones, aiming to embed preventative education within broader school strategies. The agreement emphasizes a dual approach that links gambling prevention education with a "phone-free" strategy and the RAS (Reading, Arts, and Sports) approach, which offers structured, screen-free activities to engage students.
The collaborative effort between the KGCC—an organization under the prime minister’s office responsible for gambling regulation and illegal gambling oversight—and the Gyeonggi education office will involve policy coordination, student protection measures, and the sharing of educational resources and prevention expertise. The partnership will also focus on analyzing data, developing pilot programs, and creating a model that could be applied nationally.
The strategy aims to provide a sustained approach to youth gambling prevention rather than relying on temporary campaigns. By integrating restrictions on smartphone usage with engaging RAS activities, the plan intends to effectively divert students’ attention from gambling content.
During the signing ceremony, Gyeonggi education chief An Min-seok highlighted the urgency of addressing youth gambling issues. He stated, “To effectively respond to youth gambling problems, close cooperation between the Office of Education, which best understands the school environment, and specialized prevention and treatment institutions is necessary.” He expressed hope that the agreement would lead to tangible policies rather than being a one-time event.
South Korea joins several other nations in addressing underage gambling; for example, Ireland recently launched a national campaign to help parents better identify and manage youth gambling behaviors. This campaign will utilize various media channels, including video-on-demand platforms, radio, digital audio networks, and social media.
