Police in South Korea have dismantled a massive illegal online gambling network through what they described as the largest operation of its kind in the country’s history.
The network allegedly handled $17.2 billion in wagers through 188 casino websites, arresting 77 people in an investigation spanning South Korea and Southeast Asia.
The Chungnam Provincial Police Agency announced on Monday, October 19, that 21 of those apprehended had been detained. Authorities described the case as the largest illegal gambling investigation of its kind in the country.
Investigators allege that the network operated between March 2023 and July 2026, supplying casino websites to smaller operators from offices in South Korea, Vietnam and Cambodia.
Casino Websites Created in 10 Minutes
One of the highlights of the operation was the ultra-fast speed at which it would produce a new gambling platform. Namely, according to police, the group relied on software developers with experience at major South Korean corporations who built a program that could easily generate a casino website in roughly 10 minutes.
The network allegedly used contracts with gambling operators located overseas to obtain casino video feeds and virtual gaming credits. Developers then used the respective materials to assemble ready-made gambling websites for smaller operators.
Each of these websites featured a monthly maintenance fee of 3 million won ($2,250). To recruit new customers, operators would use adult-only internet café owners spread across South Korea, earning money by selling gambling credits.
Police believe that customers placed a total of 23 trillion won, or approximately $17.2 billion, in wagers through the network during its three-year operation. The figure represents total betting activity rather than the group’s profits.
The two main supply groups allegedly generated 150 billion won, worth roughly $112 million, in criminal proceeds.
Suppliers of casino feeds are believed to have earned 120 billion won ($90.4 million), while website developers reportedly received around 30 billion won ($22.6 million).
Police Found Close to 800 Bank Accounts
The investigation started in November 2025, when officers first arrested a few lower-level operators. This prompted the authorities to follow the money as well as communications to identify people higher up the supply chain.
Investigators examined transactions involving 795 financial accounts and reviewed messages exchanged through overseas messaging services.
Police said the suspects would frequently move their offices between South Korea and Southeast Asia and rely on foreign servers to make the operation harder to trace.
Of the 77 people apprehended, 25 were linked to the supply operation, 33 were involved in running gambling websites, and 19 were identified as gamblers. Police have also pursued organized crime charges against 24 people connected to the website-development business.
Authorities say all 188 gambling sites have been shut down and 408 associated web addresses blocked. They have also secured a pre-indictment freeze on 9.6 billion won, approximately $7.2 million, in suspected criminal proceeds.
“We focused our investigative resources on cutting off the supply of gambling websites at the source after recognizing that new sites continued to emerge despite repeated crackdowns,” the provincial police agency commented.
“We will build on the success of crippling hundreds of overseas gambling websites and continue our crackdown,” the statement added.
Police are seeking Interpol red notices for 12 suspects believed to have fled overseas.
At the end of July, authorities busted another major operation that targeted a gambling enterprise that allegedly saw $230 million wagered while exploiting people with hearing impairment, using them as “mules” to ease gambling transactions.