[더 보다] “게임이 아니었다”-2026 청소년 도박 실태 / KBS 2026.05.18.

"I think I first started when I was 15. A friend told me about it... Since gambling banners were popping up everywhere on webtoon sites, I clicked on one and signed up." It started out of curiosity. They won some money, then lost a large sum, and became unable to break free. These are the testimonies of teenage students addicted to gambling whom the reporting team of The Boda met. "I think I lost about 60,000 won on the very first day. From then on, I started wanting to do it again. To win that money back. The fun of gambling. You know how dopamine bursts when you gamble. I felt that thrill. That's why I couldn't quit. My head just spins. When I win money in a flash. It gives me a tingling sensation as tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of won change hands with just the touch of my finger." Among the 170,000 students—4.3% of the total—who have gambled, the average age at which they first experienced gambling was 12.5. This is a trend that is gradually decreasing. The scale of illegal gambling is estimated to exceed 100 trillion won annually, and recently, it is spreading even faster through real-time broadcasts from overseas, such as in Southeast Asia. Jeong Chan-su / Lawyer To raise gambling funds, they might commit fraud against friends, or extort money from them—such as blackmail. They could engage in such third-party criminal acts. Another important point is that actions considered legitimate part-time work can become criminal offenses. There are many cases where individuals are punished as accomplices or accessories to fraud for doing what they thought was just running errands. Furthermore, there are instances where they are arrested. It is an extremely dangerous situation for students. When an illegal site is reported, it takes at least three weeks to block access, but there are countless ways to bypass this. As soon as access is blocked, similar sites immediately spring up with just a single IP address changed. Park Jung-hyun / Head of the Intelligent Crime Investigation Team, Dongducheon Police Station It took six months to apprehend the site operators after analyzing accounts, questioning people hiding domestically, and conducting stakeouts, but they only managed to shut down a single site. We seized just one site, but by the very next day, the number had already increased to 200 or 300 more. The civic group "School Without Gambling" is collecting bank accounts for illegal gambling sites and handing them over to banks and the police. They emphasize that cutting off the source of funding is the most certain effect. "'School Without Gambling' works to eliminate online gambling sites and blow up their accounts. Once we seize the accounts, gambling sites cannot survive." Even at this very moment, children are facing dazzling temptations. Lim Dae-seong (pseudonym) / High school student with experience of gambling addiction Honestly, I don't have the confidence to quit. You never know what the future holds. But I am trying right now. I don't even think about it. However, I don't think I will do it. I shouldn't. Park Joong-hyun / Dongducheon Police Station Intellectual Crime Investigation Team We must pay attention to the fact that our beloved children are becoming victims of gambling. Gambling sites—this is technology, isn't it? We can respond to technology with technology. However, since we cannot shoulder this burden alone, it is time for the police, telecommunications companies, schools, and the government to all work together to find a solution. Reporting: Lee So-jeong Filming: Kang Woo-yong, Cho Seon-gi Editing: Choi Min-kyung Graphics: Jang Su-hyun Researcher: Seo Yu-ri Assistant Directors: Um Hee-ju, Park Jae-beom ▣ View Original KBS Article : http://news.kbs.co.kr/news/view.do?nc... ▣ Send a Tip ◇ KakaoTalk : Search 'KBS제보' ◇ Phone : 02-781-1234 ◇ Website : https://goo.gl/4bWbkG ◇ Email : [email protected] Copyright ⓒ KBS. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction, redistribution, and use (including AI learning) are prohibited. #Youth #Gambling #Addiction #GamblingFreeSchool #Healing #AccountBlocking #Minors #FundingSource #AccessBlocking #Debt #Usury #Curiosity