{"id":777037385,"date":"2026-01-28T10:55:40","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T13:55:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/?p=777037385"},"modified":"2026-04-21T14:55:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T17:55:10","slug":"two-in-10-youths-in-seoul-exposed-to-gambling-survey-shows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/two-in-10-youths-in-seoul-exposed-to-gambling-survey-shows","title":{"rendered":"Two in 10 youths in Seoul exposed to gambling, survey shows"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Some 2.8 per cent admitted raising money through illegal activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
South Korea.- The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency <\/strong>has released its 2025 Youth Gambling Survey<\/strong>, revealing that two out of 10 <\/strong>young people in Seoul have engaged in or been exposed to gambling activities. The report stated that 20.9 per cent of participating students<\/strong> said they had witnessed gambling, up from 10.1 per cent<\/strong> a year earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The proportion of students who said they had personally taken part in gambling rose from 1.5 per cent<\/strong> in 2024<\/strong> to 2.1 per cent in 2025<\/strong>. Many students now encountering gambling as early as the fifth grade rather than in their first year of middle school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The results showed a strong shift towards online play, with roughly 80 per cent<\/strong> gambling via digital platforms and 64.6 per cent<\/strong> using smartphones. Some 40.3 per cent<\/strong> said they were introduced to gambling by friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most youths (76.2 per cent<\/strong>) financed their gambling with personal funds, while 2.8 per cent <\/strong>admitted raising money through illegal activities such as fraud, extortion or violence at school. The report revealed that 13.8 per cent <\/strong>of youths had fallen into debt because of gambling, with some turning to unlawful borrowing, pawning valuables or violence to repay it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The survey, conducted from October 27 to December 9<\/strong> last year, collected responses from 34,779 students<\/strong> in Seoul. To address the findings, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency<\/strong> said it will run a focused youth gambling prevention and management period between February and April, aimed at strengthening intelligence efforts, blocking illegal accounts, and curbing early gambling exposure among students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The agency will also coordinate with regulators, including the Korea Communications Standards Commission<\/strong>, to take action against illegal gambling sites.<\/p>\n\n\n