Man Imprisoned for 6 Years for Robbery Driven by Gambling Addiction

A middle-aged man received a prison sentence of six years after robbing a pawnshop located in the vicinity of South Korea’s Kangwon Land casino back in December 2021. The 50-year-old allegedly lost all his money in the casino and tried to recover some of his funds through the robbery.

The Man Shows No Remorse

Judge Lee Young-jin of the Chuncheon District Court Criminal Division 2 decreed the court verdict on July 27 and sent the 57-year-old man to prison for six years for committing the crimes of robbery, injury, theft, and fraud.

The incident happened on December 27, 2021. The 57-year-old man had enjoyed a good deal of gambling at the Kangwon Land casino, the only casino in the country open for South Korean residents, where he himself reports that he lost all the money he had. Obviously forced by his serious gambling addiction problem, the man went out to find more money to gamble, according to his own statement made in court.

The middle-aged gambler had a go at a pawnshop located very near the casino. He went in and pointed a gas gun at the shop owner, threatening her with her life and being very violent. He even put the gun inside the shop owner’s mouth. While he was trying to take cash and jewelry from the pawnshop, the owner’s husband appeared, and, driven by fear, the frenzied gambler ran away. The police caught up with him two hours after the incident as he tried to conceal himself at a motel.

During the following investigation, the police found out that earlier in December the man stole the gas gun from a car parked at a car wash. He also stole gas worth KRW 30,000 ($23) and gift vouchers for a major department store.

The man claimed in court that his act was not intentional, however, evidence showed the complete opposite. According to the court’s statement, the man’s behavior in court showed that he is not sorry for what he has done and needs time to reflect on his actions, hence the severe verdict.

Most Gambling Is Illegal in South Korea

Residents of South Korea are banned from gambling with the exception of one casino – the Kangwon Land casino. It is located in a remote area, which is not easy to access. All other casino venues in the country are open just for tourists. The only other gambling allowed in South Korea is the lottery and bets on horse racing and bullfighting.

Gambling has a very bad reputation in South Korean society and is seen as being quite harmful. This is one of the reasons why public authorities have kept the stringent rules on gambling and allowed it only in one remote casino. The strict restrictions will hardly be relaxed any time soon unless the public opinion on gambling changes. Currently, South Koreans who gamble illegally are subject to fines and imprisonment.