South Korean police dismantle $17.2B illegal online gambling network in country's largest case

Police in South Korea have announced the dismantling of an illegal online gambling network that they describe as the largest case of its kind in the country. The Chungnam Provincial Police Agency said on Monday, October 19, that 77 people had been apprehended, 21 of them detained, in an investigation spanning South Korea and Southeast Asia.

According to investigators, the network operated from March 2023 to July 2026, supplying casino websites to smaller operators from offices in South Korea, Vietnam and Cambodia. Police estimate customers placed 23 trillion won, roughly $17.2 billion, in wagers through 188 sites. They stressed that the figure reflects total betting activity, not the group's profits.

Police allege the group used software developers with experience at major South Korean corporations to build a program able to generate a casino website in about 10 minutes. The network reportedly obtained casino video feeds and virtual gaming credits through contracts with overseas gambling operators, then assembled ready-made sites for smaller operators. Each site carried a monthly maintenance fee of 3 million won, about $2,250. Customers were recruited through owners of adult-only internet cafés, who earned money by selling gambling credits.

The two main supply groups allegedly made 150 billion won, about $112 million, in criminal proceeds. Suppliers of casino feeds are believed to have earned 120 billion won, and website developers around 30 billion won. Authorities have obtained a pre-indictment freeze on 9.6 billion won, roughly $7.2 million, in suspected proceeds.

The case began in November 2025 with the arrest of a few lower-level operators, after which police followed money flows and communications up the supply chain. They examined transactions across 795 financial accounts and reviewed messages sent through overseas messaging services. Suspects reportedly moved their offices between South Korea and Southeast Asia and used foreign servers to avoid detection.

Of those arrested, 25 were linked to the supply operation, 33 to running gambling websites and 19 were identified as gamblers. Police are pursuing organized crime charges against 24 people connected to the website-development business, and are seeking Interpol red notices for 12 suspects believed to have fled abroad. All 188 sites have been shut down and 408 related web addresses blocked.

The agency said it focused on cutting off the supply of gambling websites at the source because new sites kept appearing despite repeated crackdowns, and that it intends to continue enforcement. At the end of July, authorities also broke up another operation that allegedly processed $230 million in wagers while using people with hearing impairment as mules for gambling transactions.