Running Gambling Sites While Living a "Lavish Life on the Run"... Caught After 10 Years

Ringleader and other operators arrested in UAE... Deputy ringleader repatriated first
Controversy over ties to a well-known comedian-turned-broadcaster
Developer from another group that recruited even middle school students also arrested

Executives of an illegal gambling website who fled overseas after assuming false identities using third-country passports and lived lavishly for 10 years have been arrested in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Of those who operated gambling websites worth 2.6 trillion won, including by recruiting middle school students, the deputy ringleader has been repatriated to South Korea, and the ringleader is also expected to be brought back soon.

A view of the residential area in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where ringleaders of illegal gambling websites lived in luxury while on the run. National Police Agency

A government-wide task force on transnational crime, comprising the National Police Agency, the National Intelligence Service and other agencies, said it had arrested the ringleader, identified as A, and the deputy ringleader, identified as B, in a joint operation with UAE authorities. B was repatriated to South Korea through Incheon International Airport on October 14. A is also scheduled to be repatriated to South Korea following consultations with local authorities.

According to the task force, A and B are suspected of operating illegal websites in the Philippines and Malaysia, among other countries, and laundering large-scale criminal proceeds. They fled overseas in 2016 and remained on the run for 10 years.

While on the run, A and others were shown online enjoying a lavish lifestyle, including inviting well-known South Korean figures to visit them, dining at upscale restaurants, frequenting nightlife establishments and shopping for luxury goods. The repatriated deputy ringleader, B, was also once at the center of controversy over his ties to a comedian-turned-TV personality. A and others even advertised BetEast, an illegal sports gambling website, on the uniforms and at the stadiums of overseas soccer teams.

A deputy operator of an illegal gambling website, who assumed a false identity using a third-country passport and fled overseas, enjoying a lavish lifestyle for 10 years, is being repatriated through Incheon International Airport on the 14th after being arrested in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). National Police Agency

Separately from this group, the task force also arrested in the UAE a developer, identified as C, who was part of a cyber gambling operation worth 500 billion won, and repatriated C along with B. C was found to be a member of an organization whose ringleader was arrested in the UAE this past July, and to have been responsible for developing the gambling website's software and overseeing its operations. The organization was found to have fueled gambling addiction among South Korean teenagers and encouraged the spread of crime by luring middle school students and recruiting them to run illegal gambling operations.

A task force official said, "This case shows that fleeing overseas, assuming a false identity and moving between hideouts cannot help criminals evade tracking and arrest. We will continue to pursue and arrest cyber gambling organizations based overseas, and strike at the entire criminal ecosystem, including illegal gambling website operators and money-laundering networks."

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