The South Gyeongsang Province Police Department has arrested 18 people for running illegal online casino sites from the Philippines. The total turnover of which exceeded $169.5 million.
The investigation began with the discovery of suspicious activity of bank accounts used for money laundering in another case, which led to the arrest of members of the organization.
The criminal gang is accused of running four illegal online casino sites from an office in the Philippines between September 2022 and May 2024. The organizer, aged 40, and one of the executives, aged 30, were remanded in custody for arraignment.
Online casinos were visited by up to 9,450 participants and total deposits exceeded $169.5 million. The sites were advertised via mailing lists and Internet cafes operated by regional agents.
Authorities also sought and received court authorization to confiscate $5.130 million in criminal proceeds pending indictment.
“Online gambling is highly addictive and causes not only financial damage to individuals but also various social problems,” a police spokesman said.
Police plan to continue cracking down on illegal online gambling through Oct. 31.
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