Officials of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said Friday they caught a 37-year-old man wanted for operating a gambling website handling around 800 billion won ($557.3 million), after checking a car roaming around a local velodrome.
The bust took place Wednesday after patrolling police officers grew suspicious of a car that was circling the outside of a track cycling arena in Gwanak-gu, Seoul. The officers ran the license plate through the police system and found that it belonged to a suspect wanted by the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency for operating a gambling website between 2022 and 2024.
When approached by police, the suspect disobeyed orders to step out of the vehicle and fled for about 500 meters, but was eventually stopped by officers and arrested. Police contacted the BMPA to confirm that the suspect is the person wanted for the illegal operation, and he was placed in the custody of the Busan police.
Officials are investigating to see if he had any accomplices when operating the gambling website.
South Korean law bans any gambling by its citizens outside or within its borders, aside from a few designated establishments granted an exception by the authorities and the state-approved lotteries. Article 247 of the Criminal Act states that running gambling establishments is punishable by up to five years in prison or a fine of 30 million won ($20,900).
Under Article 246 of the same act, those caught for illegal gambling face criminal punishment of a fine up to 10 million won or up to three years in prison; habitual gambling can be punished with up to a fine of 20 million won. The law grants exception to small-scale gambling deemed by the court to be for fun.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
