Police dismantle illegal casino ring impersonating Kangwon Land

The Gyeongbuk Provincial Police Agency has arrested five individuals and booked 53 others for operating an illegal online casino ring that impersonated the state-run Kangwon Land. The group, primarily composed of overseas Koreans, operated the site from servers in countries where cyber gambling is legal between October 2022 and August 2023.

To deceive users, the syndicate used the Kangwon Land logo in social media advertisements and utilized deepfake technology to create promotional videos featuring the faces and voices of famous athletes. Police estimate that approximately 40,000 South Korean users participated in the illegal gambling, with domestic deposits totaling roughly 78 billion won.

The organization operated as a decentralized cell, with specific roles assigned to manage domestic funds, bank accounts, and the recruitment of fraudulent accounts. They utilized approximately 70 different bank accounts, rotating them monthly to evade detection. Authorities have successfully applied for the seizure of approximately 1.5 billion won in criminal proceeds and are continuing investigations into the overseas operators.