Gambling addiction a serious issue for both adults and teenagers

[Anchor]

Addictive online illegal gambling is rapidly spreading throughout our society.

Recently, online gambling targeting teenagers has increased, and cases of addiction are also surging.

Reporter Park Young-min has the story.

[Report]

On a live YouTube channel, a game is in progress where participants choose the side with the higher number.

[Live Channel Operator/Voice Altered: "Not bad. Good. That's right!"]

In an instant, over ten million won changes hands.

This is 'Baccarat', one of the casino games.

The fast pace and immediate money exchange make it highly addictive.

Comedian Lee Jin-ho, who is under police investigation, is also known to have engaged in this online gambling.

On YouTube, these illegal online gambling live broadcasts can be viewed without age verification, making it easy for teenagers to fall into temptation.

[Kim OO/High School Student Addicted to Online Illegal Gambling/Voice Altered: "You can earn in just ten seconds what you make in a day, so when you win, that thrill is great."]

About 3,000 people have recently been caught by police for engaging in illegal online gambling nationwide.

Among them, over 30% are teenagers.

More than 40% of these teenagers have been found to have participated in 'Baccarat' gambling.

In particular, the number of juvenile delinquents under 14 years old has reached 45, indicating that the age of participation in gambling is decreasing.

[Online Illegal Gambling Operator/Voice Altered: "Kids who are good at games (betting) can be quite skilled. (Government crackdowns) are a battle of spear and shield, and we are evolving as time goes on."]

Experts warn that the chances of winning money in online gambling are almost nonexistent and that one should never fall into the temptation of gambling.

[Jo Ho-yeon/Principal of the Citizen Group 'Gambling-Free School': "Whether you lose or win, you can't take it out. Nowadays, gambling sites have created various rules to prevent people from cashing out."]

Experts emphasize that to eradicate online illegal gambling, stricter regulations on illegal OTT sites and YouTube are urgently needed, along with legal measures to 'freeze payments' on accounts used for criminal activities.

This is KBS News, Park Young-min.