12 sent to prosecution for allegedly operating illegal gambling site
A YouTube live broadcast of an illegal online gambing website to recruit members / Courtesy of Ulsan Metropolitan Police Agency
Twelve people have been referred to the prosecution and five others have been red-noticed globally on suspicion of operating an illegal online gambling site, handling over 60 billion won ($43.36 million) in stakes, police said Monday.
The 17 suspects, all in their 20s and 30s, are accused of amassing more than 3 billion won in criminal proceeds by running illicit sports betting, online casino and slot game platforms between November 2022 and July 2025 in areas including Incheon, west of Seoul, and the southeastern city of Ulsan, according to Ulsan police.
They actively sought to trick users into playing by streaming YouTube live broadcasts that falsely depicted high win rates and massive payouts, the police said. To maximize visibility, they reportedly deployed self-developed traffic manipulation program and even established a dedicated promotion team to inflate view counts and real-time viewer numbers, pushing their promotional videos to the top of YouTube search and recommendation feeds.
The police said they launched an investigation in March last year based on a tip-off and tracked down the suspects' operational bases, seizing key evidence, including burner phones, dummy bank accounts and computers.
After an 18-month manhunt, authorities successfully identified and apprehended twelve suspects sequentially.
The police also obtained an arrest warrant and requested an Interpol Red Notice for the five other suspects believed to remain at large in Thailand.
"We will track down the suspects who fled overseas to the bitter end through international cooperation," a police official said.