No. of gambling addicts in Korea nearly doubles in 4 years

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The number of gambling addicts in Korea who received hospital treatment has nearly doubled in the last four years, increasing sharply among those in their 20s, an opposition lawmaker said Tuesday.

According to the statistics that Rep. Jun Hye-sook of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) received from the National Health Insurance Service, the number of compulsive gamblers who received addiction treatment surged 91.2 percent from 1,218 in 2018 to 2,329 in 2022.

Among the 2,329, those in their 30s accounted for the largest portion at 866, followed by those in their 20s numbering 791, 40s standing at 372 and 50s at 136.

Notably, 82 were teenage addicts.

Gambling addiction showed the fastest rate of increase among those in their 20s at 106.5 percent from 2018 to 2022, higher than other age groups, such as those in their 30s at 99.5 percent, 40s at 89.8 percent and teenagers at 32.3 percent.

Nevertheless, the number of medical professionals and clinics offering treatments for gambling disorders has been on the decline.

Korea currently has 24 government-designated rehabilitation clinics that treat gambling and drug addicts, compared to 26 in 2018.

The number of neuropsychiatrists working in these institutions also declined by 34 percent from 173 in 2018 to 114 in 2022.

Jun attributed the decrease to the high labor intensity of gambling treatments and insufficient government support.

"Illegal ads that are prevalent online are enticing people in their teens and 20s to gamble," the third-term lawmaker said. "The government should enforce gambling prevention education and expand the related budget."

She also called for the establishment of a special organization assigned to supervise gambling addiction prevention and treatment.