More South Korean Teens Seek Help as Casino Gambling on the Rise

Information shared by the Korea Center on Gambling Problems (KCGP) and reported by The Korea Times, a local media outlet, has indicated that over the past four years, gambling addiction counseling among teenagers in the country has doubled with more underage individuals seeking help for this type of behavior.

Demographics of Pathological Gamblers Now Skew Younger
Based on the KCPG’s numbers, in 2020 1,286 teens have sought counselling, which has increased to 2,665 as of the end of August 2024. The data has been cited by Representative Cho Gye-won, a Member of Parliament from the Democratic Party of Korea, has urged for stricter measures against illegal forms of gambling.

Cho has said that the government should act in concert to ensure that illegal gambling websites are faced with harsher penalties and that they are subjected to the full extent of the law, including blocking and legal reprimands where possible. He said that given the circumstances, gambling prevention should now be included in school curriculums.

While the overall number of people seeking counseling services for their addiction has doubled, the number of pathological gamblers has remained fairly unchanged as a percentage of those who have reached out for help – 65.1% in 2020 compared to 66.4% in 2024, or 362 and 582 respectively for the two periods.

This increase in the number of addicts could be tied to another trend, the popularity of online casinos, argues the KCPG. According to the organization, teenagers are almost too unlikely to participate in sports betting. In 2020, 48.2% of all teenagers who gambled sought sports betting products, whereas this rate has declined to 9.2% in 2024.

Online Gambling on the Rise with Young Koreans
In the meantime, a reverse trend has been observed in online casinos with interest in popularity now estimated at 59% in 2024, compared to only 8.9% back in 2020. There have been other notable changes, as well. The demographics of those who seek help have also changed, as noted by the KCPG.

For one, in 2020, 80.5% of those seeking help with their gambling habits were aged between 17 and 19. Fast forward to 2024, and the people seeking help for gambling addiction are 55% aged between 14 and 16, as per the latest data.

Meanwhile, private sector companies have mounted campaigns to fight underage gambling in the country and help educate youngsters.