South Korea pays informants for illegal betting site tips ahead of the 2026 World Cup

South Korea’s gambling watchdog has launched a reporting campaign against illegal gambling sites ahead of the 2026 World Cup. For high-risk PSPs and acquiring teams, the useful detail is simple: the program is built to surface operators, payment credentials, and evidence that can feed blocking actions.

1. From 8 June to 31 July 2026, residents in South Korea can report illegal sites that accept bets or offer gambling services to Korean users. The campaign is aimed at sites operating outside the legal framework, not at general gambling content.
2. The base reward is 10,000 won for information that leads to the site being blocked. If the complaint includes the site owner’s bank account details, the payout rises to 50,000 won.
3. The watchdog is not paying for a bare URL. A claimant must provide login details for the platform and evidence of illegal activity, including screenshots of betting, deposits, withdrawals, or fund exchanges. In other words, they want proof, not just a tip and a shrug.
4. There is a cap of 600,000 won per month for each informant. So this is an incentive program, not a blank cheque, but it is still enough to encourage a steady flow of complaints.
5. The enforcement angle matters for payment providers: if a report includes bank account information tied to an operator, that can become a direct path to blocking the payment gateway servicing the illegal site. The campaign is timed for the 2026 World Cup, when traffic to illegal betting products typically jumps.