48 students at one school come forward: Youth cyber gambling self-reporting drive draws 294 cases nationwide

A one-month self-reporting campaign for juvenile cyber gambling run by the Korean National Police Agency drew 294 cases nationwide — 244 filed by the youth themselves and 50 by their guardians — according to figures released Monday.

At one school alone, 48 students came forward to admit they had gambled.

The scale of the problem has prompted concern in education circles, with some observers saying it mirrors the gambling-exposed classrooms depicted in the Netflix drama series "Teach You a Lesson."

Among those who self-reported, the average gambling period was 12 months, and the average amount deposited on gambling sites was 3 million won (about $1,950). The highest individual amount was 60 million won.

Males accounted for 274 of the cases, or 93 percent. High school students made up 176 cases (60 percent), while middle school students accounted for 118 (40 percent), showing that cyber gambling has reached both levels.

A high school in Gangwon Province, identified only as School A, recorded the highest number of self-reports of any single school nationwide, with 48 students coming forward. A nearby school, identified as School B, added 20 more, bringing the Gangwon Province total to 78.

The Gangwon Provincial Police Agency distributed business cards for school-assigned police officers that included their Instagram handles, and also used direct messaging — a platform familiar to young people — to encourage participation.

In Incheon, a 15-year-old male student self-reported after assaulting his mother when she refused to pay off his 4 million won gambling debt. His total deposits on gambling sites amounted to 30 million won.

The student is set to receive follow-up support through counseling at a gambling prevention and recovery center and an addiction treatment program at a psychiatric hospital.

There were also cases of secondary crimes committed to fund gambling.

In North Jeolla Province, a 17-year-old out-of-school youth identified as C repeatedly ran away from home and broke into vehicles to raise gambling money. Over 14 months, C deposited a total of 16 million won on gambling sites. He has since been connected to an addiction treatment program and a youth shelter.

The government plans to run the youth cyber gambling self-reporting system nationwide through the end of August.

The Ministry of Education, the Korean National Police Agency, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, the Gambling Industry Integrated Supervisory Commission, the Financial Services Commission and the Financial Supervisory Service have signed a joint MOU on coordinated responses to juvenile gambling.

Once a self-report is received, a school-assigned police officer and a specialized gambling counselor immediately conduct an interview and screening. Depending on the results, the youth may be referred to a professional addiction treatment facility.

When determining a police-level disposition, authorities will comprehensively review the amount deposited, the youth's attitude of remorse and progress in treatment. They will then seek the most lenient outcome possible — such as a warning or a summary trial request — following a joint deliberation by a case-by-case guidance review committee.

The self-reporting system was first piloted by the Daejeon Metropolitan Police Agency in 2024 and has since been tested across eight provincial and metropolitan police agencies. It identified 512 youth involved in cyber gambling and connected them to treatment programs. The recidivism rate within three months was just 0.8 percent — four individuals — a result authorities have cited as evidence of the program's effectiveness.

The government expects the self-reporting system to help prevent gambling addiction among youth and correct their understanding of the dangers of cyber gambling.

The government has also drawn up plans to distribute promotional materials — including online newsletters sent home to families and leaflets — to raise awareness among youth and parents about the risks of illegal private lending.

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok also weighed in on the issue last month at an appointment ceremony for the Gambling Industry Integrated Supervisory Commission held at the Government Seoul Complex. Kim urged the commission to serve as "a steadfast guardian keeping our society from sinking into the swamp of gambling," and called on it to "work hard to build effective prevention measures and a tight safety net, particularly for the problem of youth gambling, which has recently emerged as a serious social problem."

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