South Korean lawmaker exposes illegal money exchange in rated sports games

During a National Assembly audit of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, Representative Jung Yeon-wook revealed that illegal money exchange operations are persisting within sports prediction games that hold official ratings from the Game Rating and Administration Committee (GRAC).

According to the findings, money changers are using the games' internal messaging systems to guide users on how to convert winnings into cash. A common method involves using the games' 'donation' feature to bypass regulations; users are instructed to donate their game winnings to specific welfare organizations and then receive cash from the exchanger. Investigations showed that the same three welfare organizations used in these schemes were the same ones identified in illegal activities two years ago.

Representative Jung criticized the GRAC for a management vacuum, noting that even after previous investigations and requests for police involvement, the same methods continue to be used. Some operators are even using their official GRAC rating as a marketing tool to claim their services are 'legal.'

In response, Seo Tae-geon, Chairman of the GRAC, acknowledged that these exchange operations are illegal and promised a full-scale investigation into approximately 88 sports prediction games to check for similar bypass methods involving chats, coupons, or donations.