Teens Hooked on Online Gambling: A Friend's Nudge Proves a Dangerous Start

Online gambling, initiated by a friend's suggestion, is escalating into a serious social problem, implicating teenage youth in loan sharking and ensnaring them in secondary crimes. A recently released transcript by a civic group features a teenage student threatening a friend's parent to demand money, illustrating how schools are becoming breeding grounds for crime. Cho Ho-yeon, the director of 'School Without Gambling,' explained that some 'school bullies' act as promoters, creating the gambling environment, and naive students often fall victim. Some student promoters reportedly dream of becoming 'gambling site operators' after earning large sums in high school.

Students addicted to gambling frequently lose money due to site manipulation, and a perception is fostered that winning money is a matter of 'skill.' 'Loan sharks' lend money at interest rates exceeding 50% per week, and students trapped in the fantasy of 'just win it back' find themselves drowning in debt worth tens of millions of won. Students burdened with insurmountable debt resort to threatening their parents, being forced to promote gambling sites, and leading lives of desperation. To repay debts, they often become involved in secondary crimes such as used goods scams, theft, and prostitution scams.

Warning signs are appearing everywhere. The National Police Agency apprehended 7,153 underage individuals for gambling offenses in the past year (November 2024 – October 2025). According to a reality survey by the Korea Center on Gambling Problems last year, an estimated 157,703 youths have gambled at least once in their lives. Kim (17), who gambled since middle school, stated, 'Two-thirds of the boys in my class gambled.' He borrowed money from friends or acquaintances and incurred a debt of 6 million won, noting that some of his peers resorted to stealing from cars or selling their KakaoTalk accounts to repay their debts.

It's diagnosed that teenagers addicted to gambling find it difficult to break free on their own, highlighting the need for intervention to bring them into social support systems. Recently, a 15-year-old male student, who assaulted his mother due to a 4 million won gambling debt and attempted suicide, and a 17-year-old out-of-school youth who went missing and committed vehicle theft due to 16 million won in gambling funds, are undergoing treatment through voluntary reporting. The police conduct screening tests upon receiving voluntary reports, involving school police officers and professional gambling counselors, and refer cases to specialized addiction treatment institutions. They plan to offer leniency based on a comprehensive review of the debt amount and the individual's remorse.