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Teen suspects arrested in South Korea over alleged cyber gambling offenses have already surpassed last year’s total, with the increase recorded within only the first 7 months of 2026.
According to data submitted to the Korean National Police Agency, 267 teenagers were arrested from January to July this year. The figures were included in a report titled “Status of teenage suspects in cyber gambling by city and province, Jan.–July 2021–2026,” which was submitted by Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Kim Jun-hyeok of the Education Committee on Sept. 27.
The number is already higher than the 266 teen suspects arrested throughout 2025. The latest figure has raised concerns over the growing accessibility of cyber gambling among teenagers.
Arrests Show Uneven Pattern
The number of teenage cyber gambling suspects has changed significantly over the past several years. In 2021, authorities arrested 116 suspects, while the figure declined to 87 in 2022.
The number increased again in 2023, reaching 170 arrests. It then rose sharply to 749 in 2024 before dropping to 266 in 2025. Despite the decline last year, the latest data shows that arrests have started to increase once more.
The figures also varied across cities and provinces. Southern Gyeonggi topped the list of arrests made with the arrest of 50 teen suspects. Busan followed second on the list with 36 arrests, and third was Seoul with 33 arrests. North Chungcheong had 20 arrests made. Northern Gyeonggi and South Chungcheong each had 18 arrests made.
Online Gambling Remains Accessible
Cyber gambling is considered a form of gambling that teenagers can access relatively easily. The availability of different online platforms has also been reflected in the gambling activities reported by young people.
According to the 2025 youth gambling survey done by the Korea Problem Gambling Agency, 35.8 percent of youths who gambled consistently for six months prior to the survey preferred online casino games.
Online mini games were the second choice, and they made up 29.8% of the respondents. Online hwatu followed at 17.2%, while betting on online sports outcomes represented 16.0%. Online lotteries accounted for 10.2%.
These figures represent various ways in which teens are exposed to or have used internet gambling. Of all the options mentioned in the survey, the greatest proportion was for online casinos.
Schools Asked to Measure Results
Schools at all levels are currently required to provide gambling prevention education under relevant laws. As of 2024, all schools in 7 cities and provinces were found to be conducting these programs.
The areas included Busan, Daejeon, Sejong, Gangwon, South Chungcheong, South Jeolla, and North Gyeongsang. However, the presence of prevention education does not necessarily show how effective the programs are in addressing teenage cyber gambling.
Kim said education authorities should go beyond checking whether schools are providing gambling prevention lessons. He urged them to establish a system that takes responsibility for reviewing and measuring the actual effectiveness of the education.
The latest arrest figures place greater attention on how schools and education authorities respond to cyber gambling among teenagers. With the 2026 total already exceeding the figure recorded for all of 2025, prevention efforts are now being assessed not only by whether they are offered, but also by the results they produce.
Source: Chosun Biz
