(123rf)

Reports of illegal online gambling in South Korea have nearly tripled over the past four years, according to government data on Wednesday.

The figure comes amid growing public concern, especially following comedian Lee Jin-ho’s recent admission to illegal online gambling.

According to data by the National Gambling Control Commission submitted to Rep. Min Hyung-bae of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, reported cases of illegal online gambling surged by threefold from 13,064 in 2019 to 39,082 in 2023.

Online gambling now accounts for the lion’s share of all illegal gambling activities in the country. Last year, online gambling made up 80.3 percent of the 48,648 cases, followed by illegal sports betting with 19.4 percent.

Despite the surge in reported cases, the commission’s budget for monitoring illegal gambling has dropped. The budget was cut from 1.87 billion won ($1.37 million) in 2019 to 1.43 billion won last year.

The number of officers responsible for monitoring also dropped from 13 in 2023 to 12 this year.

“The scale of illegal gambling has surpassed 100 trillion won and illegal online gambling is spreading rapidly, not only among celebrities, but also among young people,” said Min. “Authorities need to respond proactively by expanding the monitoring staff and the budget.”

Meanwhile, comedian Lee on Monday confessed on his social media account that he participated in illegal online gambling in the past. He reportedly borrowed money for gambling from celebrity acquaintances. Police have launched a preliminary investigation into his case.