In South Korea, the number of teenagers struggling with gambling addiction has risen dramatically – tripling in just three years. Unfortunately, help services haven’t been able to keep up with this growing need.
As a concerned observer, I’ve noticed gambling addiction among young people is becoming a really big problem globally, and it’s definitely happening in South Korea too. It’s honestly scary – the number of cases has tripled just in the last three years, and doctors are getting seriously worried about this trend.
Recent data shows a significant increase in gambling addiction among teenagers in South Korea. The number of adolescent patients seeking treatment jumped from 64 in 2022 to 210 in 2024, and the associated medical costs rose from approximately $79,400 to $312,056 during the same period, according to information released by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service to lawmaker Seo Young-seok.
Demand for gambling counseling has been increasing significantly. The Korea Problem Gambling Agency found that cases involving young people rose from 1,460 in 2022 to 4,144 in 2024. This trend continued into 2025, with over 3,200 cases reported in just the first eight months.
The problem extends beyond healthcare, as illegal gambling among young people is sharply increasing. Police data reveals a more than eight-fold rise in juvenile gambling crimes, jumping from 76 cases in 2022 to 631 in 2024. Arrests of children aged 10-13 involved in these crimes surged from two to 72, and cases connected to online casinos increased dramatically from two to 93. Illegal sports betting incidents also more than tripled, rising from 36 to 109.
Limited resources to help everyone
The country is having trouble meeting the needs of all young people because of limited resources. The government’s addiction support program has also been criticized for concentrating mostly on alcohol and not giving enough attention to the problems caused by gambling.
Seo Young-seok believes that teenage gambling is a serious social problem, similar to other addictions, and needs more help in South Korea. This includes more places for treatment, more counselors, and better prevention efforts in schools and local communities. Currently, these resources are insufficient to deal with the scale of the issue.
He explained that youth gambling isn’t just a legal problem, but a social issue-an addiction that can’t be solved by simply punishing those involved. It harms young people’s education and well-being, damages families, leads to repeated crime, and increases costs for everyone. Therefore, we need more specialized programs to help young people with this problem. It’s also vital to increase the number of counselors available and improve gambling prevention education in schools and communities.
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2025-09-17 13:41