South Korea CrACKS DOWN on Unlawful "Texas Hold'em Gaming Venues" Scene
Cracking Down on Underground Gambling in South Korea
Authorities in South Korea have formed a task force, dubbed the Illegal Response Task Force, to combat the surge of "hold'em pubs" that have been illicitly popping up across the country. Comprising representatives from the National Police Agency and other government departments, the task team aims to curb the growth of bars with poker themes, which have often been associated with unlawful gambling and money laundering.
Tightened Rules and Enhanced Penalties
In light of "hold'em pubs" gaining popularity among Korean youth and celebrities, the task force is conducting a nationwide undercover operation to identify unlicensed gambling establishments and associated criminal activities. The findings will be compiled in September.
Moreover, the task force is working on enacting stricter regulations that will impose harsher penalties on individuals running "hold'em pubs." Offenders could face penalties of up to 70 million won and jail terms of up to seven years. Operators of illegal gambling venues face fines of up to 50 million won and imprisonment of up to 5 years.
Encouraging Reporting and Enhanced Oversight
The task team is also promoting public reporting of illicit gambling activities. A new amendment will create a supervisory committee to actively oversee such locations, with informants eligible for compensation of up to 50 million won. The government's efforts have already yielded success, as the reward review committee distributed a total of 152 million won in compensation for 1,249 reported incidents of illegal gambling in the second quarter.
Protecting Korea's Youth
The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, in collaboration with the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, is driving the regulatory amendments to protect the younger generation from the harmful influences of "hold'em pubs". The government aims to label such establishments as harmful to youth by December. With this designation, advertising to minors will be restricted.
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Sources:1. "South Korea sets new rules for illegal gambling" - Yonhap News, 2021-06-242. "Keeping Korea Gamble-Free: New Regulations and Enforcement Measures" - Korea Bizwire, 2021-07-013. "South Korea Tightens Age Restrictions on Online Gambling" - Asia Times, 2021-04-284. "Public Hearsay Helps Curb Illegal Gambling in South Korea" - The Korea Times, 2021-05-15
- The governement's task force in Seoul, aiming to combat the rise of "hold'em pubs," has proposed strengthening regulations to punish offenders with penalties up to 70 million won and jail terms of up to seven years.
- In an effort to protect Korea's youth, the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family are working together to label "hold'em pubs" as harmful to youth by December.
- The new regulations will also encourage public reporting of illicit gambling activities in South Korea, with informants eligible for compensation of up to 50 million won.
- The tightened rules could potentially impact various sports scenes in South Korea, as it may lead to the closure of unlicensed gambling establishments associated with sports such as NBA, WNBA, NCAA-basketball, and even poker.
- If successful, the crackdown on underground gambling could help Seoul strengthen its stance against unlawful activities, following a surge of "hold'em pubs" across the country.
