Data from South Korea’s Health Review & Assessment Service, which handles claims for that nation’s public healthcare system, indicate the tally of adolescent ‘gambling addicts’ there has tripled from 64 in 2022, to 210 last year.
That is according to reports on Tuesday of a statement from lawmaker Seo Young-seok of the Democratic Party, also a member of the National Assembly’s health and welfare committee.
Mr Seo said a record 156 teenagers received treatment for gambling addiction during the first seven months of this year.
Medical expenses related to teen gambling addiction quadrupled from KRW113.9 million (US$81,727) in 2022 to KRW436.87 million in 2024, reported one of the outlets, Maeil Business Newspaper.
Mr Seo also cited police data on arrests of young people in relation to gambling. The number of teenagers caught for gambling-related crimes rose eightfold from 76 in 2022, to 631 in 2024.
By gambling crime type, the number of arrests of juveniles in relation to “online casinos” has grown from two in 2022 to 93 in 2024; while the number of arrests related to illegal sports betting also rose from 36 in 2022 to 109 in 2024, the police data show.
Local media cited Mr Seo calling for an increase in gambling addiction treatment facilities for teenagers, as well as an expansion of the number of counselling staff, and of preventive education in schools.
