South Korean Police Shut Down Illegal Betting Sites Worth $48M

Police in the South Korean city of Ulsan say they have dismantled two illegal betting sites that generated $48 million in revenue over six years.

The Ulsan Metropolitan Police Agency arrested eight people, with seven remanded in custody on gambling-related charges, the South Korean media outlet EDaily reported.

The group of arrestees includes the casino’s suspected mastermind, an unnamed individual aged in their 40s, police said. The group is accused of operating two illegal casinos, one of which offered slots and the other baccarat games.

Police say the sites went live in January 2020 and operated until they were taken down in February. Officers explained they had launched an investigation into the sites in June last year, after receiving information about the two websites.

Illegal Betting Sites: Police’s Six-Month Operation

Detectives eventually traced the group’s whereabouts to three offices in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. They spent eight months tracking the suspected ringleader’s movements to identify the rest of the gang.

Investigators also analyzed transaction records from over 100 bank accounts and telephone records. According to a police spokesperson, the suspects promoted their sites through unnamed distributors who “operated across the country.”

They also allegedly worked with adult-only PC bang (video gaming cafes) owners, who reportedly let their customers access the sites.

Late last month, police said they conducted simultaneous raids on multiple addresses. In addition to the arrests, officers seized 62 million won (over $41,000) in cash.

They also confiscated three luxury watches, which they believe were purchased with profits generated from the sites. Police said they think the gang was highly organized, and “committed crimes systematically.”

‘A Highly Organized Gang’

The gang was operated not unlike a modern tech startup, officers said. The alleged mastermind assigned each member a precise role, including website maintenance, management, promotion, accountancy, money laundering, and even customer service.

A spokesperson for the Ulsan force said the gang “used burner phones and bank accounts registered under false names to evade police tracking.”

The gang also went to great pains to evade police detection, the spokesperson added. The accused allegedly hired offices under other people’s names and relocated frequently in a bid to escape police attention.

Earlier this year, police in South Gyeongsang Province said six teenagers had taken advantage of an amnesty period to confess their gambling-related crimes.

Officers said the group comprised one high school student and five middle school students. A police spokesperson said the force plans to run another amnesty period in the second half of 2026.