"Flew by Private Jet to Watch the World Cup": Gambling Site Gang Members Who Led Lavish Lives Arrested

43 Arrested, Including Leaders in the UAE, Malaysia and South Korea; 18 Detained
163.7 Billion Won in Criminal Proceeds Identified; Confiscation Sought for 61.9 Billion Won

Members of an organized crime group who ran an overseas gambling website and enjoyed a lavish lifestyle have been arrested en masse by police.

An organization member boards a chartered plane. Photo provided by the Chungbuk Provincial Police Agency.

On November 3, the Cybercrime Investigation Unit of the Chungbuk Provincial Police Agency said it had detained 18 people, including A, the group's leader in South Korea, and referred 25 others to prosecutors without detention on charges including operating a gambling venue, violating the National Sports Promotion Act, and organizing or joining a criminal group.

A and 42 others are accused of operating gambling websites worth a total of 2.668 trillion won from bases in Malaysia between May 2022 and February this year. Investigators said they had leaders in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Malaysia and South Korea, and ran sports betting and baccarat operations.

Police said they detected signs of the group's criminal activity in July 2025 and launched an investigation, identifying 72 members in South Korea and overseas. Through international cooperation, they later arrested 10 members, including three leaders, in the UAE and Malaysia, and repatriated eight of them, including A, to South Korea. Police have issued Interpol Red Notices for 21 members staying in Malaysia and are tracking them.

Police believe the actual amount of money wagered was far greater than what their investigation has uncovered so far, as the group had been running gambling websites since 2016. They have identified 163.7 billion won in criminal proceeds and applied for pre-indictment seizure and collection orders covering 61.9 billion won of that amount.

Investigators found that the group members used money earned from operating the gambling websites to lead extraordinarily lavish lives. B, the group's leader in the UAE, traveled to Qatar on a private chartered plane with key members and watched matches at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar from a skybox. He also gave members ultra-expensive luxury watches and other gifts. Even while on the run, they invited well-known South Korean figures to Dubai, frequented upscale restaurants and entertainment venues, and bought expensive luxury goods. Their lavish lifestyle was showcased online.

C, the group's leader in Malaysia, also flaunted his wealth there and became the target of a kidnapping in May this year. The kidnappers demanded a ransom of $10 million (13.4 billion won), and he was extorted for $3 million (4 billion won) before local police rescued him four days later. It was later revealed that he was wanted under an Interpol Red Notice, and he was arrested.

The group went beyond operating gambling websites, expanding into other businesses and building a corporate-style criminal organization. It established its own game company in South Korea to illegally develop and sell game engines for gambling websites, and also sent members to the Philippines to run a casino business. In 2016, the group even boldly advertised its sports betting website on the uniforms and at the stadiums of overseas soccer teams.

Police also charged the group with organizing a criminal organization, saying it operated like a company, including by holding weekly meetings to review performance. A police official said, "We will continue to work through the Special Task Force for Countering Transnational Crime to pursue cybercrime organizations with overseas bases to the end, arrest their key operators and recover their criminal proceeds in full."

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