South Korea busts illegal iGaming network with 23 trillion won in bets; 77 detained

Police in South Chungcheong Province said they detained 77 people in a case involving the creation and promotion of illegal gambling sites. For PSPs and acquiring teams, the details matter because this was not a one-off rogue site: it was an industrial-scale network with 188 platforms, foreign infrastructure, and a fast production line for new gambling domains.

1. According to police, the scheme ran from March 2023 to July 2026 and generated about 23 trillion won in total bets, which investigators described as a record figure for this type of case in South Korea.
2. Among those detained were 25 members of the supplier organization, 33 site operators, and 19 players. Charges were filed against 21 people.
3. The operation used a multi-layer model: one group supplied casino video streams and gaming credits, while another built illegal sites and handed them over to operators. Police said programmers from major South Korean corporations were recruited to develop the websites, and the software they built allowed a new gambling site to be launched in just 10 minutes. Each site was serviced for 3 million won per month.
4. Police estimated total criminal proceeds at about 150 billion won ($122.75 million), with roughly 120 billion won ($90.2 million) going to the supplier organization and another 30 billion won ($22.55 million) to the site producer.
5. Investigators said the group moved offices between South Korea and Southeast Asia, used overseas servers and international messaging apps to avoid law enforcement, and police have blocked 408 internet addresses linked to the 188 identified sites. Authorities are also seeking to preserve 9.6 billion won ($7.22 million) in criminal funds and are searching for 12 suspects who fled abroad with Interpol’s help.