The Korean National Police Agency said on the 1st that it will focus on crackdowns against illegal gambling occurring in places such as holdem pubs from May 1 to August 31. Activities such as exchanging chips used in games for cash or coins in establishments like holdem pubs, and owners taking profits such as commissions will be the main targets of the investigation.
The police's policy is to confiscate the revenue of criminals such as owners, exchangers, recruiters, and gamblers to block recidivism, and to conduct investigations with the principle of arresting owners. If organized crimes are confirmed, they plan to actively apply the crime organization law. As the Tourism Promotion Act was revised last year, allowing various illegal activities within holdem pubs to be punished as casino-like activities, the Tourism Promotion Act will also be actively applied.
However, the Korean National Police Agency stated that it plans to refrain from indiscriminate crackdowns on legally operating holdem pubs after sufficiently gathering information prior to the focused crackdown.
Previously, the police apprehended 4,843 people for operating illegal gambling houses and gambling charges during crackdowns from 2023 to 2024, of which 49 were arrested. They also confiscated and seized 15 billion won in criminal revenue.
The Korean National Police Agency noted, "We plan to provide rewards of up to 5 million won to informants who provide crucial evidence," and urged that "those involved in gambling who voluntarily surrender could be subject to discretionary mitigation and may have their penalties waived, so please actively report."