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Rising cases of teen gambling addiction sparks concern of crisis

Published: 16 Sep. 2025, 16:54 Updated: 16 Sep. 2025, 18:59

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The number of Korean teenagers treated for gambling addiction has tripled in two years, reaching what lawmakers are calling a crisis level and prompting calls for urgent government intervention.

One middle school student receiving counseling for gambling addiction said he started betting on sports in sixth grade. He first learned about online sports betting on the internet and began out of curiosity, but soon found he could not stop.

To fund his gambling, he took money from his parents’ wallets and borrowed from friends without paying them back. His school life and daily routine have since fallen apart.

Illegal gambling is spreading rapidly among teens, leading to a sharp rise in such cases.

Rep. Seo Young-seok of the Democratic Party released data from the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service on Tuesday showing that teen gambling addiction cases rose from 64 in 2022 to 210 in 2024. The trend has continued this year, with 156 teenagers receiving treatment between January and July.

Police data also show a sharp spike in gambling-related crime among teens. The number of teens caught for gambling crimes grew from 76 in 2022 to 631 in 2024. Among them, the number of juveniles under 14, who are exempt from criminal punishment, jumped from two to 72 over the same period, nearly 30 times higher.

Online casino cases showed the steepest rise, from two in 2022 to 93 last year, while illegal sports betting cases rose from 36 to 109. Authorities say younger age groups are increasingly involved.

Seo urged the government to strengthen preventive and treatment measures.

“Teen gambling is not an issue that can be solved by crackdowns alone. It destroys education and health, leads to family breakdowns and repeat crimes and causes an explosion in social costs — making it a disaster for society as a whole,” he said.

“We need more treatment centers for adolescents, more counselors and expanded prevention education in schools and communities," Seo added.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY RHEE ESTHER [[email protected]]