Match-Fixing Players and Billion-Won Websites Fuel Asia’s Widening War on Illegal Gambling

Law enforcement agencies across Asia intensified their campaign against illegal gambling over the past week, as authorities in South Korea and Hong Kong carried out sweeping operations that involved thousands of suspects. The raids exposed extensive cross-border betting networks that had burrowed deep into the world of professional soccer.

The two announcements, made within days of each other in late June, show how seriously governments in the region now view an underground industry that has expanded massively online.

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The National Police Agency in Seoul said on Sunday that it was investigating 2,319 people connected to illegal online gambling. The announcement followed a seven-month crackdown that began in November.

According to the agency’s National Office of Investigation, officers arrested 154 people across 1,746 separate cases. Investigators also moved quickly to cut off the money, temporarily seizing 107.2 billion won (US$69.7 billion) in illicit profits before prosecutors formally indicted suspects. That figure is double the amount recovered in a similar operation last year, with police crediting the larger haul to a sharper focus on the people at the top of the trade.

Officers did not focus as heavily on chasing individual bettors, instead concentrating on the chief operators behind major gambling sites based both domestically and overseas. Investigators discovered that most of the illegal platforms ran on the same underlying code, suggesting that a common supplier powered much of the market. Police now intend to intensify efforts to pursue whoever is designing and distributing the website templates that operators rely on, a move that could help disrupt many more sites than any single arrest.

Tracking Down Suspects Overseas in Korean Gambling Case

The scale of the economy came into focus through the biggest operation uncovered that week. A Vietnam-based site handled more than 1.3 trillion won ($845 million) in bets before the Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency shut it down. Officers seized 38.7 billion won in illegal profits from that platform alone and arrested five people linked to its operation.

The investigation reached well beyond South Korea’s borders. Korean authorities worked with foreign law enforcement to detain 75 suspects who fled the country, and 15 have already been brought back to face charges. Police pledged to continue hunting down the operators of major gambling sites in the second half of the year.

The penalties are significant for anyone convicted. Running a gambling business for profit in South Korea can bring up to five years in prison or a 30 million won (US$19,500) fine. Participating in gambling is punishable by a fine of up to 10 million won (US$6,500). The law makes an exception for gambling deemed purely recreational.

Korea has been looking to clamp down on underground gambling, and poker has not been exempt. So-called “hold’em pubs” have become popular in the nation of 52 million, even as social pressure intensifies.

Hong Kong Probe Ensnares Soccer Players and Coaches

The Hong Kong operation revealed how deeply organized betting had infiltrated sport. The region’s Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), working alongside police, announced the arrests of 19 people, including soccer players and coaches.

The arrests formed part of a crackdown on an illegal bookmaking ring. One 24-year-old player allegedly helped fix matches and handled illegal bets. Authorities identified two coaches in total, along with six full-time players from three First Division teams. Investigators said the ring fixed at least four top-flight First Division games over the past two seasons.

Personnel from at least five clubs were involved, showing a broader spread across a meaningful portion of the local game. Investigators alleged that the ring relied on insider access by recruiting people connected to local soccer to take bets while exploiting a network of players to rig matches for profit.

Authorities detained eight suspects over match-fixing, 10 for illegal betting, and the 24-year-old player for both offenses. Officials believe the syndicate placed more than HK$6 million (US$765,227) in illegal bets on both local and overseas fixtures, including matches in the ongoing FIFA World Cup.

The case surfaced while the ICAC was investigating a separate match-fixing case. Investigators uncovered the wider corruption once they pulled on that thread.

The crackdowns in Korea and Hong Kong are unlikely to be the last, as betting money continues to flow across borders faster than investigators can follow it. However, authorities across Asia are clearly committed to keeping up the pressure on illegal gambling rings.

Image credit: hyolee2/Wikimedia Commons (license)

Andrew O'Malley

Editor

Andrew O’Malley has been involved in the gambling industry for more than a decade. With a background in math and finance, he brings a unique perspective to gambling journalism. He covers everything from the latest prediction market litigation to sports betting scandals and iGaming legislation for publications like Gambling Insider and Gaming America. As a gambling journalist, Andrew closely follows breaking stories while also producing in-depth analysis pieces. He frequently speaks with experts in their respective fields to provide unique and informed perspectives.