A 15-Year-Old Loses 3.6 Million Won, While a 17-Year-Old Faces '100% Interest'... The Stark Reality of Youth Gambling

[Financial News] More than 1,700 youths were reported to police for gambling in just over three months after the voluntary reporting system for youth cyber gambling was expanded nationwide. Their average age was 15.5, and they had gambled for an average of 10 months.
According to the Korean National Police Agency on the 7th, a total of 1,777 reports were filed by youths during the Youth Cyber Gambling Voluntary Reporting Period, which ran from May 18 to August 31.
Most reports—1,501, or 84.5%—were filed by the youths themselves. Guardians filed 276 reports, or 15.5%. By school level, high school students accounted for 963 cases (54.2%), followed by middle school students with 813 (45.8%) and one elementary school student (0.1%).
The youths who were reported ranged in age from 12 to 18, with an average age of 15.5. They had gambled for an average of 10 months, and the average amount deposited into gambling sites was 3 million won. Casino games such as slots and baccarat accounted for the vast majority of gambling types, at 95.9%.
The most common trigger for reporting was education and outreach by school police officers (SPOs), accounting for 1,183 youths (66.6%). Another 243 youths (13.7%) learned about the system through promotional media such as the internet and posters, while 180 (10.1%) were encouraged by friends or others around them, and 110 (6.2%) learned about it through school promotions or guidance.
In one area where a school police officer promoted the program through gambling-prevention education and social media, 116 youths reported themselves, including 93 middle school students and 23 high school students. In one case, a 15-year-old boy persuaded his friends to report themselves, leading 30 students at a single school to come forward.
When a voluntary report is received, a school police officer and a professional counselor conduct an initial interview to assess the severity of the gambling problem. Depending on the results, the youth is connected with a specialized institution for a tailored treatment program. Of the 1,504 youths who had completed initial interviews, 1,430 (95.1%) had been referred to specialized institutions. The remaining youths will be referred in stages.
Some cases involving gambling problems also revealed other crimes and led to treatment. In Ulsan, a high school student suffering from gambling addiction assaulted his mother, who reported the incident to 112. The school police officer who took over the case encouraged the student to voluntarily report his cyber gambling during an interview. The student later received counseling and treatment at the Busan-Ulsan Gambling Problem Prevention and Treatment Center and a hospital psychiatric department.
Of the 222 youths who completed treatment programs, 166 received leniency after each police station's guidance review committee considered the amount gambled, their attitude of remorse and their program completion results. Of these, 147 were released with a warning, while 19 were referred for summary trial. The remaining 56 were formally booked and referred to prosecutors.
The voluntary reporting process also uncovered illegal gambling websites and victims of illegal private lending. During interviews, police identified 464 illegal gambling website addresses and requested that the Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC) take action to shut them down and delete them. Five youths identified as victims of illegal private lending were connected with the Credit Counseling and Recovery Service (CCRS) and the One-stop Credit Support Center. Police are investigating cases involving high interest rates and threats during debt collection.
An official from the Korean National Police Agency said, "Cyber gambling remains widespread among our youths, and many young people are caught up in gambling and need help." The official added, "The earlier gambling addiction is treated, the more effective the treatment is. It is especially important to detect and treat youths who gamble at an early stage so that the problem does not lead to secondary crimes."
The Korean National Police Agency plans to analyze the effectiveness of the voluntary reporting system through research by specialized institutions by October. After gathering opinions from youths who reported themselves, their parents, police officers working in the field and counselors, the agency will address shortcomings and decide whether, when and how to continue operating the system.
[email protected] Ye-ji Kim Reporter