Police Arrest 12 Including Money Changers and Dealers in Crackdown on Hold'em Poker Gambling Rings

12 People Including Currency Exchanger, Dealer, and Customers Arrested Red-Handed

Police conducting a raid at a Hold'em pub located in Galhyeon-dong, Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul. / Provided by Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Sehee] The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced on the 9th that they have cracked down on illegally operated Hold'em pubs and arrested 12 individuals.

According to the Seoul Police Agency, the Eunpyeong Police Station in Seoul raided a Hold'em pub located in Galhyeon-dong, Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, at 8 p.m. the previous day, arresting a total of 12 people, including money exchangers, dealers, and customers, on charges of operating illegal gambling and gambling offenses. They are currently under investigation.

Since December last year until this month, they recruited an unspecified number of customers through KakaoTalk open chat rooms, conducted Texas Hold'em games, and then exchanged the winnings back into cash, committing the crime in this manner.

The police reportedly seized 2,500 chips used for gambling on-site, 8.61 million KRW in cash, six ledgers of sales and exchange records, and three mobile phones through a search and seizure operation.

Currently, the police have set a special crackdown period from the 2nd to the 29th of this month to intensively investigate in order to prevent illegal gambling from becoming a social problem. Officers from the Public Order Division, Criminal Division, 112 Situation Room, and Intelligence Police are collaborating in the crackdown.

The Seoul Police Agency stated, "During the investigation of illegal gambling charges, we will actively apply the crime syndicate organization charges by verifying whether there is organized operation and involvement of criminal gangs," and added, "We will strictly investigate to recover criminal proceeds and eradicate illegal gambling activities."