South Korean authorities have made 14 arrests after a Philippine-based gambling ring was discovered in Gangwon province. The Gangwon Provincial Police Agency’s Criminal Investigation Unit reported on Nov. 6 that it had arrested those involved in the illegal gambling operation, including the brainchild behind it, which police named A.
Law enforcement was alerted to the scheme after another illegal gambling operator was arrested. Using this information, South Korean police were able to trace the information to trace the finances, structure, and how the operation worked.
The police discovered that the complete operation had earned more than 5.3 trillion won, about $3.4 billion. This was done between September 2024 and March 2025, with A coming up with the plan while in prison on other gambling-related charges. A had created 266 different sites, which he would hand over to others and take 3 million won ($2,056.43) off the top every month.
In September, we reported that authorities sent forty-nine suspects back to South Korea, where they now face investigations related to several ongoing cases.
Of those people, forty-five were already on Interpol Red Notices, and together they had a total of 154 national warrants issued against them.
Suspects flee South Korea after massive gambling ring bust
However, while A and 13 others were arrested, the Gangwon Provincial Police lost two suspects who have now fled the country. A South Korean police officer said:
“We have taken pre-indictment seizure and preservation measures on 3,346.5 million won in criminal proceeds.
“We have requested a red notice from Interpol for two members of the organization who fled abroad.”
A used the Philippines to create a “supplier company.” These act as intermediaries, providing games to various websites, often linked to foreign or illicit companies.
South Korea and parts of Asia, where gambling is illegal, have seen an explosion of gambling activity in recent years. It has never been easier to introduce sites into countries like Japan and Korea, and harder to crack down on them as methods of circumventing the law with tools like VPNs.
It has become such a problem that South Korea has opened its first rehabilitation center specifically for “problem gamblers.”
Cover image: Wikicommons
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