Tim Alper iGaming Journalist
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Read Full BioA former professional South Korean Go player will spend over two years in jail for running a real-money betting network in hold ‘em casino experience pubs.
The ex-pro, unnamed for legal reasons and in his 40s, also served as president of a hold ’em association, the South Korean news agency Yonhap reported.
A branch of the Busan District Court’s Criminal Division found the man guilty of violating the Tourism Promotion Act. A panel of judges sentenced him to 26 months in jail and ordered him to pay a fine of 180 million won ($125,000).
The court also fined the association, set up by the defendant in June 2021, a further 20 million won (just under $14,000).
Prosecutors told the court the defendant conspired with 53 hold ’em pub owners across the country, helping them run real-money gambling dens between November 2023 and March 2024.
What are Casino Experience Pubs?
Thousands of hold ‘em pubs operate in South Korea. They all claim to offer a casino-like poker experience without involving “real-money” betting.
Most pubs charge an entrance fee and distribute chips for Texas hold ’em card tournaments. However, police have long claimed that many pubs secretly offer their clients the chance to bet real money on card games.
The defendant denied the charges, saying that he had merely helped others stage a Texas hold ‘em tournament that “paid out prizes, much like an amateur sports tournament.”
However, the court rejected these claims, stating that the organization was “responsible for encouraging speculative hold ‘em games.”
The presiding judge called the network an “illegal operation” that flaunted South Korea’s strict anti-gambling rules.
Last year, South Korean police announced a new “intensive” crackdown on hold ‘em pubs. Officers said in May that crackdowns have seen officers charge almost 5,000 people with gambling or operating illegal gambling establishments at hold ‘em pubs nationwide.
During the drives, investigators also confiscated cash and other assets worth almost $11 million.
Busan Raids
Last month, police in Busan arrested over 100 people accused of running an illegal money exchange for underground gambling dens.
Yonhap reported that the operators, disguised as a hold ‘em pub, were caught en masse by the police. Officers say the arrestees included an individual who opened hold ‘em pubs in downtown Busan from January to October 2025.
Police say the operators ran “after-hours” games for customers who had undergone a screening process. These customers were instructed to swap cash for betting chips at the illegal currency exchange. Winners could also cash in their chips at the exchange, police said.
