From Assaulting Parents to Theft... The Dire State of Teen Cyber Gambling

1,777 Reports During Three-Month Self-Reporting Period by National Police Agency
Average Gambling Period: 10 Months, Amount Spent Around 3 Million Won
Assaults on Mothers and Creation of "Gambling Circles" Included

Nearly 1,800 teenagers have confessed to the police about engaging in cyber gambling. There have even been cases where teenagers assaulted their parents for pocket money, or gambling circles were uncovered when students resorted to crimes such as theft after running out of gambling funds.

The National Police Agency announced on September 7, 2026, that it had received 1,777 voluntary reports during a three-month self-reporting period for youth cyber gambling, operated jointly with the Ministry of Education, the Financial Services Commission, and the Financial Supervisory Service from May 18 to the end of the previous month. The average duration of gambling among the teenagers who confessed was 10 months, with the average amount gambled reaching 2 million won.

The average age was found to be 15.5 years old. High school students made up the majority with 963 cases (54.2%), followed by middle school students at 813 (45.8%), and one elementary school student (0.1%). Of the types reported, casino games such as slots and baccarat accounted for 95.9% of the cases.

Major cases included a report in Ulsan, where a mother called 112 stating, "my son assaulted me while demanding pocket money." Through an interview with the school police officer (SPO), it was revealed that the teenager had gambled about 200 million won over two years. In North Chungcheong province, 116 middle and high school students made group reports after police prevention education. Particularly, at one school, a 15-year-old persuaded 30 friends to make reports together. In Seoul, a 'gambling circle' of 14 middle and high school students that resorted to fraud and theft after running out of money was discovered.

Among the 1,504 teenagers who completed initial interviews, 1,430 (95.1%) were referred to professional institutions such as the Korea Center on Gambling Problems and youth counseling and welfare centers. The remaining teenagers are scheduled for interviews. An analysis of 160 teenagers who completed rehabilitation services found that their average gambling problem screening score dropped from 4.81 before treatment to 2.22 after. Out of 222 program graduates, 147 received cautionary guidance, while 19 were transferred to summary trials, meaning a total of 166 received lenient consideration. Fifty-six with more serious charges were formally booked and referred to the prosecution.

The leading reason for reporting was police education and promotional activities, accounting for 1,183 students (66.6%). Other motivations included online promotions and posters (243 students, 13.7%), encouragement from friends or acquaintances (180 students, 10.1%), and school announcements or guidance (110 students, 6.2%).

The National Police Agency plans to analyze the effectiveness of the system through studies conducted by specialized agencies until next month. After gathering feedback from self-reporting teenagers, their parents, police officers, and counselors, the agency will decide on whether, when, and how to operate the program in the future.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.