South Korea plans wider teen gambling addiction referral system as youth share of treatment users reaches 24.3%

South Korea's Ministry of Gender Equality and Family intends to expand the way teenagers with gambling addiction are identified and referred for treatment. According to a Korea Herald report citing a ministry statement, the aim is to cover the whole path from early identification through to treatment and rehabilitation.

The plans were discussed during a visit by Minister Won Min-kyung to the Korea Gambling Problem Agency in Seoul. Agency figures show that teenagers accounted for 24.3% of those receiving gambling addiction treatment services in 2025, compared with 6.2% in 2021. The data describe teenagers' share of people using the agency's services. They do not measure how many South Korean teenagers have gambling problems overall.

The ministry is considering several changes focused on the people and services that come into contact with young people at risk. These include training for youth counselors and staff, easier referrals and closer collaboration with specific treatment institutions. It also wants to simplify how young people move from youth counseling centers to specialised treatment facilities.

The existing Youth Gambling Gatekeeper programme already provides a training structure. It runs five sessions a year for a total of 240 participants, with two specialised instructors from the Korea Gambling Problem Agency assigned to each session. The ministry's approach emphasises the ability of frontline workers to recognise warning signs and make appropriate referrals, so that detection leads to actual access to care.

Participants in the visit also discussed cooperation with a voluntary reporting system for teenagers involved in online gambling. Won said effective action on teenage gambling depends on close cooperation between youth organisations and specialised treatment institutions.

The ministry also runs an annual survey of first-year middle and high school students to identify those at risk of developing addiction. Students who need help can first receive counseling at youth counseling centers and social welfare centers, and can then be referred to specialised institutions. The proposed changes to the referral system concern that second step, the transfer of patients from youth services to dedicated treatment centers.