The crisis of gambling among South Korean teenagers is worsening, with official statistics revealing a staggering increase in cyber gambling offenses among youths. According to figures released from the National Police Agency, the Ministry of Education, and the Korea Gambling Problem Prevention and Treatment Center, as reported by Newsis, the number of arrests related to teenage gambling soared by 440% within a year. This data was compiled by the office of lawmaker Kim Dae-sik from the People Power Party.
The statistics highlight the most significant surge occurred between 2023 and 2024, where arrests jumped from 170 to nearly 800. While official numbers for 2025 have yet to be published, early reports indicate a drop to 266 arrests. Experts attribute this decline to police-led amnesty initiatives encouraging teens to come forward in return for leniency.
"Despite the rapid increase in teenage gambling crime suspects, we have not even been able to ascertain the scale of secondary damages," Kim Dae-sik stated. "We need to examine issues such as illegal loan sharks that target underage gamblers."
The report surfaces amid ongoing criticism regarding the rise of “gambling-like activities” in the South Korean stock market, with powerful detractors accusing the government of transforming domestic markets into a casino through the approval of leveraged single-stock exchange-traded funds.
Kim has urged the government to implement early detection of gambling addiction within schools, advocating for more professional counseling, improved addiction treatment, and financial relief resources. He called for a "single, unified support system" to address the issue.
Regional statistics indicate that Gyeonggi Province has the highest youth gambling rates, followed closely by Jeju Province, known for its numerous foreign-passport-holder-only casinos, which some locals feel exacerbate gambling-related crime. Seoul ranks third, with Busan coming in fourth.
In response to these alarming figures, nearly 96% of schools nationwide have begun conducting special gambling-awareness education sessions.
The Korea Gambling Problem Prevention and Treatment Center has reported a 44.2% increase in teenage patients from 2022 to 2025. The number of counseling cases that required urgent referral to medical care or specialized private agencies due to severe addiction symptoms has increased by 220% during the same period. Officials indicate that this year is on track to shatter previous records, having handled over 500 cases by the end of June 2026, just shy of last year’s total of 668.
The National Police Agency acknowledged that many gambling-addicted teenagers are falling through the cracks. In Gangwon Province, for instance, 48 students at a single high school admitted to gambling activities at the same time, with an additional 20 students from nearby schools also coming forward.
In Incheon, police reported that a 15-year-old boy assaulted his mother for refusing to pay off his gambling debt amounting to 4 million won (approximately $2,700). Meanwhile, a teenager in North Jeolla Province confessed to stealing cars to finance his gambling addiction.
A study last year indicated that nearly 5% of teenagers in Daejeon admitted to being addicted to online gambling, emphasizing the growing concern over this youth gambling epidemic.
