South Korea Youth Online Gambling Reports Reach 800 Cases

South Korean police launched a voluntary self‑reporting system for under‑19s involved in online gambling on May 18, 2026. In the first two months the system received 806 reports, a 74 % rise from the first to the second month, with 629 reports from the youths themselves and 177 from guardians.

Reported cases include an 18‑year‑old in Gyeonggi borrowing 5 million won at a 200 % annual interest rate, a 14‑year‑old stealing around 30 million won from a parent’s account, a 13‑year‑old who began gambling at age six, and a middle‑schooler in Busan who borrowed 2 million won from 41 classmates. Police are coordinating with schools and gambling‑addiction counselors to provide counseling, psychiatric treatment, and debt‑adjustment assistance. The reporting programme will remain active until the end of August.