Online casinos fuel 14-fold surge in teen gambling

By KTimes

The number of teenagers addicted to gambling has more than doubled in the past four years, with an alarming 14-fold increase in online casino usage. This trend has raised significant concerns about the rising issue of youth gambling.

One such case involves a 17-year-old, who fell into gambling after observing friends in middle school and eventually accrued over 16 million won (approximately $12,000) in debt. The teen’s parents helped repay the debt, but the experience led to strained friendships, withdrawal from school and mental health struggles, including anxiety and depression.

Cases like these highlight the concerning trend of younger teens, particularly middle school students, becoming involved in gambling, with a rising number turning to highly addictive online casinos, underscoring the urgent need for preventative measures.

According to Rep. Cho Gye-won of the opposition Democratic Party of Korea, data from the Korea Center on Gambling Problems shows that the number of teenagers receiving gambling addiction counseling has more than doubled from 1,286 in 2020 to 2,665 by the end of August this year.

While more teens are seeking help, the severity of their addiction has not lessened. Those classified as having the most severe addiction, or “problem level” gamblers, also increased from 362 (65.1 percent) in 2020 to 582 (66.4 percent) this year.

Worryingly, the rate of successful gambling cessation one year after treatment has dropped significantly, from 49.2 percent in 2020 to just 24.9 percent in 2023, indicating that more teens are struggling to break free from gambling once they start.

One troubling trend is the decrease in the age of gambling addiction. Four years ago, high school students (ages 17 to 19) made up 80.5 percent of those seeking help, but that figure has dropped to 55 percent this year.

Meanwhile, the percentage of middle school students (ages 14 to 16) has grown from 12.8 percent in 2020 to 20.6 percent.

One troubling trend is the decrease in the age of gambling addiction. Gettyimagebank

Given the heightened peer influence at younger ages, experts warn that gambling addiction could spread more easily among younger teens.

The type of gambling is also shifting. While the use of sports betting among teens has dropped sharply from 48.2 percent in 2020 to 9.2 percent this year, online casino participation has surged by nearly 14 times, rising from 8.9 percent in 2020 to 59 percent this year.

Online casinos are particularly harmful due to their accessibility via smartphones and the immediacy of results compared to other forms of gambling, making them more addictive for teenagers.

Cho called for stricter crackdowns and harsher penalties for illegal gambling sites, as well as more robust efforts to close and block access to these platforms.

“Since gambling is not currently included in the addiction prevention education offered at schools at the discretion of principals, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ministry of Education must collaborate to strengthen policy cooperation and swiftly amend the relevant regulations,” he said.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.