Tim Alper is a journalist who covers betting news and regulation for CasinoBeats. He joined the CasinoBeats team in May 2025. He reports on breaking news and developments in the world of betting, casinos, and...
Read Full BioPolice in South Korea say 141 suspects accused of gambling-related crimes fled the country in 2025, as the number of people trying to escape justice hit a record high.
The South Korean media outlet Herald Kyungjae reported that the overall figure for criminals and suspects fleeing overseas broke the 1,000 mark last year, reaching 1,249. That marks a 31.3% increase on 2024’s figure of 95.
The vast majority of the fugitives (757, or 61%) were suspects in fraud cases. However, gambling-related crime suspects followed in second place, representing over 11% of the cases.
Suspected gambling and fraud offenders primarily fled to Cambodia, China, Vietnam, and the Philippines. South Korean police say scores of voice phishing call centers, online gambling website operators, and other fraud networks use all four countries as “bases for criminal activity” that target South Koreans.
Police say they are fighting back. The number of repatriated fugitives entering South Korea in 2025 also reached a record high of 828.
Suspects Fled South Korea for SE Asian Destinations
The South Korean National Police Agency states that it has established a “high-level” network of security cooperation with its international counterparts.
This comprises an international cooperation council and a global cooperation operations network named Breaking Chains.
The agency launched Breaking Chains in November last year, in conjunction with police forces in Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The Cambodian police force, meanwhile, officially launched its Korean Task Force in November last year. The unit has conducted three joint operations since then, resulting in the arrest of 94 individuals.
Philippines-based Gambling Network
Also in November, South Korean police worked with officers in the Philippines to arrest 14 people accused of opening and operating a gambling portal worth 5.3 trillion won ($3.6 billion). The portal allegedly provided bettors with access to over 260 Korean-language gambling sites. Each of these sites used its own electronic wallets.
The operators’ websites allegedly featured pirated casino streams from major overseas gaming companies.
Police say the mastermind has prior convictions for gambling-related offenses, the South Korean newspaper Kyunghyang Shinmun reported. Officers say the same individual was jailed in 2020 for operating a gambling den that used a server rental firm as a front.
A police spokesperson said officers had seized cash worth around $330,000 from five of the group’s “senior” members.
The spokesperson stated that the network was “meticulously planned” and utilized overseas-based remote servers.
