Youth gambling goes beyond financial loss, inflicting complex damage across overall daily life, including mental health and interpersonal relationships. Cases of stealing others' names to evade responsibility also occur frequently. Given the severity of crimes committed to fund gambling and relapse issues after treatment, it is most crucial to recognize this not as a mere investment failure, but as an addiction problem, and to respond early. Experts emphasize that continuous counseling and professional treatment involving not only the individuals themselves, but also their families, are essential for complete recovery from gambling problems.

The issue of youth gambling is threatening overall daily life, extending past financial loss to mental health, academics, and family and peer relationships. Experts point out that because damages manifest complexly across multiple areas, gambling problems must be detected early and connected to continuous counseling and treatment.

According to the "2025 Youth Gambling Survey" by the Korea Center on Gambling Problems Prevention and Healing, among teenagers in the Chungcheong region who experienced gambling from March to August 2025, mental health issues were the most common type of gambling-related problem at 32.1%. This was followed by economic problems at 26.0%, physical health problems at 25.3%, daily life problems at 22.4%, academic and career problems at 16.2%, family problems at 11.0%, and peer relationship problems at 7.1%.

According to the Daejeon-Chungnam Center on Gambling Problems Prevention and Healing, those receiving counseling for gambling often experience intertwined problems rather than just a single hardship. They reportedly suffer from unmanageable debt along with lethargy or depressive symptoms, while facing disruptions in their daily lives and interpersonal relationships.

As an actual case, middle school first-grader 'A' suffered damage exceeding 100 million won due to gambling. To raise gambling funds, he even searched through his friends' bags at school to steal money.

'A' wanted to stop gambling on his own, but had difficulty controlling his behavior. At the recommendation of his family, he received psychiatric inpatient treatment, but reportedly started gambling again once he got his mobile phone back after discharge.

There are also cases where individuals fail to properly recognize their responsibility while gambling under someone else's name. 'B' repeatedly gambled by using a friend's account and bankbook, paying that friend a commission of about 10% whenever profits were made. 'B' reportedly showed an attitude that he would not be caught by the police because he was not gambling under his own name.

Surveys also confirmed experiences of gambling using another person's name. In the Chungcheong region, 32.6% of teenagers who responded stated they had used someone else's name when gambling over the past six months. Among the names used, friends or senior/junior schoolmates were the most common at 34.6%, followed by relatives at 23.0% and parents at 20.6%.

In the process of gambling under another person's name, even people around them who provided accounts or bankbooks can become complicit in gambling. This can lead to conflicts over financial damage and responsibility, adversely affecting family and peer relationships.

The center emphasized that it is important to request help from the early stages of recognizing a gambling problem and for families to participate in counseling and education. Because some still accept gambling losses as a simple investment failure rather than an addiction problem, counseling and treatment can be delayed.

Lee Seung-hee, head of the Daejeon-Chungnam Center on Gambling Problems Prevention and Healing, explained, "It is also necessary for families to receive counseling first to learn and practice how to help the individual." She added, "As time is required to recover from a gambling problem, it is important to continuously participate in counseling and treatment rather than stopping at a one-time session."

[ⓒ Global Economic Times. 무단전재-재배포 금지]