Illegal Online Gambling Surge in Korea

The first six months of 2011 saw a huge increase in illegal online gambling activity in Korea.

The Korean Games Rating Board registered a four-fold increase in illegal online games in the first half of 2011. The increase takes the number of illegal online gambling games to approximately 2011.

The increase has been attributed to the ever-growing popularity of online gambling, while video game usage wanes.

A Korean Times report revealed that online gaming providers are facilitating betting using a complicated system which allows players to convert virtual points to cash.

This transaction system enables players to purchase items with virtual points. The items are addressed to online gambling operators, who then trade the items for cash.

The system is illegal but as the transaction takes place online at every stage, it is extremely difficult to detect and trace.

An official of the Games Rating Board said, “Online gambling on personal computers going difficult to control and so we require large numbers of well-trained personnel with high skills.”