▲ Illicit gambling site operation gang
A syndicate that operated illegal gambling sites worth approximately KRW 490 billion for about five years while moving offices domestically and abroad to evade investigative authorities has been arrested.
The Jeju Provincial Police Agency announced today (October 27) that it has apprehended 74 individuals on charges of operating illegal gambling sites, and arrested 12 core members, including the ringleader in his 50s, surnamed A.
Additionally, police are tracking one fugitive hiding domestically, and have requested Interpol Red Notices and invalidated the passports of three fugitives who fled overseas.
Composed mainly of senior and junior acquaintances from the Daegu region, the group is accused of running 17 gambling sites from February 2021 to January of this year while shifting through 26 different offices in Daegu, Jeju, and Southeast Asia.
It was confirmed that approximately 17,000 members used these sites, with total gambling funds deposited reaching about KRW 491.3 billion, utilizing 221 burner accounts for the crimes.
To attract members, ringleader A even recruited well-known "pickters" (betting tipsters) who predict various betting results on online communities.
It was found that A maintained solidarity within the organization by providing separate subsidies to encourage member attraction activities and covering overseas workshop expenses.
Some members were also found to have engaged in concealing criminal proceeds and money laundering, such as transferring criminal profits across multiple accounts rather than stopping at member recruitment.
Police tracked the suspects' accounts, cash, vehicles, real estate, and other assets, securing a pre-indictment attachment order for approximately KRW 164 billion in criminal proceeds, and notified the National Tax Service of the taxable income data for all suspects.
An official from the Jeju Provincial Police Agency warned, "Sites that lure users into signing up and depositing money by promising high returns, free money, or welcome bonuses online are illegal gambling sites and must be avoided," adding, "Please exercise extreme caution not to participate in crimes such as operating, promoting, or recruiting members for these sites."
(Photo provided by Jeju Provincial Police Agency, Yonhap News)
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