Police arrested operators and gamblers involved in running an illegal online gambling website with a total betting amount of 108.4 billion won ($7.77 million).
 
The Daejeon Metropolitan Police Agency said Thursday that it had apprehended 13 operators and 191 gamblers. Among the operators, 11 were arrested on charges including opening a gambling space, while the other two operators and 191 gamblers were booked without detention for gambling-related offenses.
 
 
A man in his 50s, identified as the manager of the gambling site, launched the operation in July last year after hiring an IT developer he knew to create the online platform.
 
Investigations revealed that he conspired with acquaintances, including four men in their 20s affiliated with violent gangs in Daejeon, to grow the site’s membership to 3,000 users and expand its gambling activities to reach a betting volume of 108.4 billion won by March this year.
 
The operators ran the site’s Daejeon headquarters, managing call center services, site bulletin boards, and online gambling money deposits and withdrawals. They also established regional branches nationwide to recruit new members, engaging in organized illegal activities.
 
Police said the operators used Telegram for communication to avoid leaving digital footprints and operated privately, admitting only members referred by acquaintances. They also deleted and concealed evidence related to criminal activity in advance.
 
The main games offered were baccarat and slot machines, with members ranging from teenagers to senior citizens, including students, office workers and homemakers.  
 
Bets ranged from a minimum of 4 million won to several hundred million won, with one member in their 20s reportedly gambling 480 million won.
 
Police, acting on intelligence received earlier this year, conducted a three-month-long investigation involving stakeouts and tracking near the Daejeon headquarters. They arrested the operators and seized 720 million won of the criminal proceeds before the indictment.
 
“We have already processed many of those apprehended and plan to continue tracking additional accomplices and members involved in the gambling site to dismantle the operation entirely,” said a Daejeon Metropolitan Police Agency official.
 

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [[email protected]]