"Let's start filling our pockets from Monday." As soon as the clock struck midnight on the 13th, a live broadcast began on YouTube. It was a broadcast that revealed the betting positions for an online gambling game where money is wagered on 'Sadaritagi' (a traditional Korean ladder game). The host promoted that if viewers joined his KakaoTalk open chat room, known as the 'family room,' he would inform them where the betting was taking place. He also added that additional recharge points would be given for bringing acquaintances and that gambling-related information would be shared even with minors. The video was set to private 12 hours after the broadcast ended.
Illegal online gambling promotional videos, such as ladder game predictions, can be easily encountered on YouTube. Photo by YouTube capture
As the online gambling problem worsened, the government launched a response team involving multiple ministries, but online gambling promotions continue unabated on YouTube and social networking services (SNS). Since youths can access these platforms without significant restrictions, there are calls for more proactive government measures.
According to the National Police Agency on the 14th, there were a total of 2,796 arrests related to online gambling from January to October this year. Considering the remaining months, the number is expected to surpass last year's 2,839 arrests. The Korea Communications Standards Commission blocked 39,061 online gambling contents from January to September this year. Recognizing the severity of the issue, the government launched an 'Inter-Ministerial Response Team' on the 3rd of this month, involving the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, Korea Communications Commission, Supreme Prosecutors' Office, National Police Agency, and the Gambling Industry Integrated Supervision Commission. The team plans to crack down on online gambling sites and advertisements and track organizations operating gambling sites through next year.
If you search for 'private toto' on social networking services (SNS) such as Instagram, about 780,000 related promotional posts are found. Photo by Instagram
However, even after the response team was launched, online gambling is still openly advertised on SNS and YouTube. Searching for 'private Toto' on Instagram yielded about 790,000 related posts. One post promoted betting up to 100 million KRW and promised cash-out within five minutes upon successful betting. There was also content advising how to respond if caught by investigative agencies. One video uploaded on YouTube stated, "Except for a few high-stakes gambling site users, most are only questioned as witnesses; ignore the first one or two times." It also advised, "If you receive a call from the police, ask exactly which bank statements you need to bring. You can avoid charges if gambling was done through other accounts." This video approached 10,000 views.
Content related to investigations by authorities also serves the purpose of promoting online gambling. They mislead viewers by claiming it is hard to get caught by police investigations and even if caught, severe punishment does not follow. Another video on YouTube said, "Getting caught using private Toto is due to weak security. We have strong security." It added, "Even if caught, just submit a handwritten letter of apology expressing sincere remorse and a promise not to reoffend, so there is no need to worry much."
Such content is also fully exposed to youths. Since there is no strict adult verification, young people can easily access online gambling videos and posts. Youth gambling has recently emerged as a serious social problem. According to a cyber gambling diagnostic survey conducted by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family in April, 28,839 youths were identified as at risk for cyber gambling problems. Professor Kim Do-woo of the Department of Police Science at Gyeongnam National University said, "Due to the nature of online gambling, such as servers being located overseas, it is not easy to catch offenders without active will." He added, "Through smooth communication among government agencies within the inter-ministerial response team, necessary measures including investigation, arrest, and blocking should be swiftly implemented."
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