A court has jailed two gambling-addicted South Korean teens who stole a gold bracelet from a jewelry store in a bid to pay off betting-related debts.
A branch of the Gwangju District Court found the duo, unnamed for legal reasons, guilty of theft and driving without a permit, reported the South Korean broadcaster MBC Gwangju.
Prosecutors told the court the pair posed as customers. One of the duo, a 19-year-old high school student, asked to see a gold bracelet worth 30 million won (almost $21,000).
The 19-year-old reportedly distracted the jewelry store clerk before stealing the bracelet and fleeing the building. Outside, their accomplice (a 17-year-old high schooler) was waiting in a car.
The pair fled the scene, and the 19-year-old later sold the bracelet. Prosecutors told the court that the thief used the money to pay off gambling debts.
Gambling-Addicted South Koreans Get Jail Time
The presiding judge, Seo Ji-hye, sentenced the pair to between six months and one year in prison.
In sentencing, Seo said: “The defendants attempted the crime to repay debts accrued from illegal online gambling. While the damage to the [jewelry shop] owner has not been fully recovered, the court has taken the defendants’ age into account.”
South Korea is in the midst of a worsening youth gambling epidemic. Last year, a study found that almost 5% of teens in the city of Daejeon are addicted to online gambling.
Teens are also using fake or stolen ID cards to bet on Sports Toto. Toto is South Korea’s state-approved sports pools betting system.
The country’s illegal gambling sector is now worth around $65 billion, government officials say.
Gambling Awareness Campaign
Police say they are fighting back. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said on May 6 that it will team up with the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education to raise awareness of the dangers of gambling addiction.
The two organizations have agreed to create videos and online ad campaigns. These will “help young people recognize the dangers of cyber gambling,” the South Korean media outlet Newsis reported.
The video and ads will involve the warning: “A single click could be the start of a lifetime of online gambling.”
The parties said they would air the ads and videos on screens in buses and subway stations. The videos will also air on screens in apartment elevators and libraries.
“Preventing cyber gambling begins with young people developing judgment skills. These skills will help them recognize risks on their own and avoid them,” said Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Acting Superintendent Kim Cheon-hong.
Kim concluded: “We will raise awareness by delivering prevention messages tailored to respond to the [gambling resources] that students frequently encounter.”
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