Korean Police Bust Record $17.3 Billion Illegal Gambling Network

Chungnam police say a supply chain based in Vietnam and Cambodia built 188 betting sites, including software that could launch a working site in 10 minutes.

Francis Gable

19/10/26 · 2 minOctober 19, 2026 · 2 min read

South Korean police have arrested 77 people tied to a network that allegedly built and supplied 188 illegal gambling websites from bases in Vietnam and Cambodia, the Chungnam Provincial Police Agency said on Oct. 19.

Police say bettors staked about 23 trillion won ($17.3 billion) on those sites between March 2023 and July 2026, according to Yonhap. That is the largest sum ever traced to an illegal gambling operation in Korea. The suppliers allegedly kept about 150 billion won ($113 million) of it.

Police Say One Program Built a Site in 10 Minutes

A vendor signed contracts with gaming companies that operate legally overseas to obtain live casino video and gaming credits. It passed them to a software firm that built the sites.

That firm allegedly hired developers who had worked at a major Korean conglomerate. Their program could produce a working gambling site in 10 minutes, police said. Site operators paid up to 3 million won (about $2,250) a month per site for upkeep.

Those operators recruited bettors through adult PC cafe owners across the country, police said. The group moved offices between Korea and Southeast Asia to avoid detection.

Twelve Suspects Remain Overseas

The 77 arrested include 25 members of the supply network, 33 site operators and 19 gamblers. Police are holding 21 of them in custody and added criminal-organization charges against 24 members of the software firm. None has been convicted.

Source: Yonhap News (adapted)

Police shut all 188 sites, blocked 408 web addresses and froze 9.6 billion won ($7.2 million) ahead of indictment. The case began in November 2025 with the arrest of a lower-tier operator, then moved up the chain by tracing 795 bank accounts.

Kim Tae-woo, who heads the agency's cyber investigation unit, said cutting off the top of the supply chain would starve the large sites. He pledged more crackdowns aimed at suppliers.

Korean authorities have also moved against offshore platforms, including an order to block Polymarket. The next step in this case is abroad: police are seeking Interpol Red Notices and forced repatriation for 12 suspects who fled overseas.

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