South Korean esports star made honorary police officer for anti-gambling campaign
South Korean esports League of Legends star “Faker” has been made an honorary police officer by the Korean National Police Agency (KNPA), as part of a campaign against cyber gambling.
Faker, whose real name is Lee Sang-hyeok, will also serve as a promotional ambassador for the initiative, using his gaming profile to raise awareness of the risks associated with online gambling.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest League of Legends players of all time, the 30-year-old has won six League of Legends World Championships and 10 domestic titles in South Korea during his career with esports team T1.
His appointment comes at a time when authorities in the country are stepping up efforts to address concerns over youth gambling amid the continued growth of esports and betting markets.
In July last year, Riot Games came under criticism for allowing sports betting sponsorships to be shown on its Tier 1 League of Legends and Valorant teams. John Needham, Riot Games’ president of publishing and esports, said at the time that the advertisements were a way to protect fans from unregulated gaming by promoting regulated sites. Critics argued that it would only increase gambling addiction among younger audiences.
Campaign against cyber gambling
In May, the KNPA launched a “Youth Cyber Gambling Voluntary Reporting System,” which encourages young people to report gambling activity and to get professional assessment and counseling. The program runs until the end of August and by mid-July had recorded 806 participants.
“For youth cyber gambling, it is important to detect it before the problem deepens and to promptly begin counseling and treatment. We hope Faker’s positive influence will instill the courage in young people who need help to report without hesitation,” said Acting Commissioner Yoo Jae-sung in a KNPA press release.
Also in the release, the KNPA praised Faker, noting that throughout his career he “has consistently practiced the values of self-management, concentration, and self-restraint, serving as an exemplary model for many youths.” Due to this, the gamer was granted the honorary police rank of “Senior Police Officer,” identical to the “competitive recruitment rank for cyber investigations.”
Faker was also designated as the “Ambassador for Cyber Gambling Prevention” and is participating in producing promotional videos and posters for the “Youth Cyber Gambling Voluntary Reporting System.” According to the KNPA, authorities received 806 voluntary reports from its launch on 18 May to 16 July.
Charlotte Capewell brings her passion for storytelling and expertise in writing, researching, and the gambling industry to every article she writes. Her specialties include the US gambling industry, regulator legislation, igaming, and more.
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The Backstory
Celebrity policing meets a widening enforcement drive
South Korea’s decision to enlist Lee Sang-hyeok, the League of Legends player known as Faker, as an honorary police officer puts a public face on a campaign that has been building for more than a year. The Korean National Police Agency is not treating illegal online gambling as a niche vice problem. It is framing it as a cybercrime issue, a youth protection issue and, in some cases, a national security concern.
Faker’s appointment fits that strategy. He is one of the country’s most recognizable esports figures, with a fan base that overlaps heavily with the young people police are trying to reach. The agency’s voluntary reporting system for youth cyber gambling depends on persuasion rather than punishment. By using a player associated with discipline and elite competition, authorities are trying to reduce the stigma of self-reporting and move young gamblers into counseling before debts, criminal exposure or addiction escalate.
The campaign also lands at a sensitive moment for esports. Competitive gaming has become mainstream entertainment, while betting markets around esports have expanded globally. That creates a tension for South Korea, where esports is a source of national prestige but online gambling outside narrow legal channels remains tightly controlled.
Teen gambling pushed the issue up the agenda
The clearest driver behind the police campaign is the growing evidence that minors are being pulled into illegal gambling ecosystems. A yearlong national crackdown produced 5,196 arrests and identified 7,153 minors who had participated in illicit gambling, underscoring the scale of the problem. In that operation, authorities recovered KRW123.5 billion in illegal gambling revenue and said the activity was increasingly organized and transnational. Police said the enforcement push would continue through October 2026, with an emphasis on overseas-based operators.
Those numbers help explain why Faker is being used as a preventive tool rather than merely a symbol after the fact. Police have generally avoided criminally charging most minors caught gambling, instead referring them to guidance committees, summary judgment or warnings. That approach reflects a recognition that many teenagers are not just customers but targets: recruited online, exposed through gaming communities or coerced into providing accounts, personal details or referrals.
Recent local cases show how quickly youth gambling can become predatory. In Jeju, police dismantled illegal gambling rings run from converted internet cafés that were accused of targeting teenagers and seafarers. Investigators said one high school student borrowed KRW11 million to gamble, while operators allegedly lent money to students at interest rates of up to 650%. The case tied online betting to debt exploitation, local organized crime and physical premises such as PC bangs, making the risk more immediate than a remote website.
Illegal operators have become more mobile and more sophisticated
South Korea’s gambling enforcement environment has shifted because the operators have changed. Police are no longer dealing only with local bookmakers or small domestic websites. They are tracking networks that use shell companies, encrypted communications, overseas offices and layered bank accounts to move money and avoid detection.
That evolution was visible in a Gangwon Provincial Police Agency case in which officers detained 84 people linked to overseas gambling rings operating from Dubai and Seoul. Investigators said the groups handled about KRW120 billion in wagers over four years, used shell companies to secure long-term visas and divided roles across publicity, bank account procurement, money laundering and overseas operations. Police also alleged that some middle and high school students were pressured into providing personal information or joining gambling sites in exchange for incentives.
Such cases matter for the current campaign because they blur the line between gambling enforcement and broader cyber policing. The same tools used to run illegal betting platforms — anonymous accounts, messaging apps, foreign jurisdictions and cash-out networks — also complicate investigations into fraud and money laundering. Police have said Korean gang members are increasingly being arrested for online scams, including illegal iGaming, rather than traditional crimes such as assault or extortion. That change makes youth outreach only one part of a larger response.
National security concerns have entered the gambling file
The stakes rose further when prosecutors linked illegal gambling infrastructure to North Korean actors. A South Korean man was charged over an alleged North Korean gambling operation after investigators accused him of selling domains tied to illegal gambling sites created by hackers connected to the North’s 313 General Bureau. Prosecutors said the sites generated as much as $17 million over three years and alleged that about 30% of the proceeds reached the North Korean regime.
That case gave authorities a stronger rationale for treating illegal gambling as more than a consumer protection violation. If betting domains, proceeds and technical infrastructure can be linked to North Korean cyber units, then enforcement becomes tied to sanctions risk, cyberterrorism concerns and national security policy. Prosecutors said they would continue preserving criminal proceeds and respond strictly to people who threaten democratic order for personal gain.
For the Korean National Police Agency, the connection strengthens the case for early reporting and public education. A teenager placing bets through an offshore-looking platform may not see the larger network behind it. Police, however, are emphasizing that individual gambling behavior can feed criminal groups that operate across borders and may be tied to hostile state interests.
Sports scandals broaden the reputational risk
Gambling concerns have not been limited to anonymous online users. Korean sports figures have also drawn scrutiny, reinforcing the sensitivity around athletes, gaming and betting. Four Lotte Giants players faced a police complaint after they were found entering a Taiwan online gambling venue during a trip, a case that raised questions about team discipline, league rules and the gray areas surrounding gambling venues abroad. The players had been warned by the club not to visit such sites, and the complaint alleged gambling activity and prizes worth about KRW110,000.
The case involving Korean baseball players accused in connection with illegal online gambling in Taiwan illustrates why authorities and sports organizations are cautious about any perceived normalization of betting. Even when venues are licensed locally, athletes can face reputational and disciplinary consequences if their conduct conflicts with domestic expectations or league guidance.
Esports faces a related but more complex challenge. Its audience is younger, digitally native and accustomed to online platforms where gaming, streaming, sponsorship and betting content can sit side by side. Riot Games’ decision to allow betting sponsorships for top-tier League of Legends and Valorant teams drew criticism from those who said exposure to gambling brands could deepen addiction risks among young fans. Supporters argued that regulated advertising could steer users away from illegal sites, but South Korea’s enforcement record shows why regulators remain wary.
Why Faker’s role is more than a public-service campaign
Faker’s appointment is best understood as part of a two-track response: aggressive enforcement against operators and softer intervention for vulnerable users, especially minors. Police are seizing assets, pursuing overseas networks and linking gambling probes to cybercrime. At the same time, they are trying to convince young people to admit involvement before legal and financial harm deepens.
That makes the choice of ambassador significant. Faker is not a celebrity imported from outside the culture of online competition. He is central to it. His credibility gives police a channel into the communities where illegal gambling promotion can spread, including esports fandom, gaming cafés, streaming spaces and social media. The message is also carefully calibrated: self-control, concentration and restraint are being positioned as values shared by elite gaming and gambling prevention.
The broader risk for South Korea is that illegal gambling becomes embedded in youth digital life faster than enforcement can remove it. The country’s recent cases show networks that target students, exploit debt, operate abroad and move proceeds through sophisticated channels. Faker’s role will not determine the success of the crackdown, but it signals that authorities see prevention, cultural influence and cyber enforcement as connected parts of the same fight.
