It was revealed during a parliamentary audit that money brokers are operating inside sports prediction games rated by the Game Rating and Administration Committee (GRAC), guiding players on how to cash out using a "Donate" feature. Two years ago, GRAC uncovered currency exchange activities in the same game and requested a police investigation, but the case remained unsolved as suspects could not be identified. In the meantime, the illicit currency exchange business continued operating through the exact same method.
During a parliamentary audit of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee on October 12, Representative Jung Yeon-wook of the People Power Party pressed GRAC Chairman Seo Tae-geon on the issue. Rep. Jung stated, "Some games openly advertise themselves as 'legal sports prediction games officially approved by the Game Rating and Administration Committee,' but we confirmed that inside the games, money brokers are exchanging exchange fees and Telegram contact details."
In a chat log disclosed by Rep. Jung, a money broker explained that exchanges ranging from a minimum of 10,000 won to 10 million won were possible. When asked, "Do I just donate the money won after betting and let you know the exchange amount?", the broker replied, "That's correct." Under this scheme, players contact the broker through in-game messages, transfer their winnings via the donation feature, and coordinate the final cash payout on Telegram. Rep. Jung pointed out, "Coordinating exchange amounts via Telegram is a tactic frequently used by illicit operators." According to the representative's office, Chairman Seo affirmed that such exchange operations are illegal.
It was also revealed that GRAC was already aware of the currency exchange issues in the game. When asked, "In 2024, didn't GRAC internally detect money brokers exchanging currency in this game and request investigative cooperation?", Chairman Seo responded, "Yes." When asked what measures were taken, he explained, "The case was left unresolved because identifying suspects was impossible at the time."
Displaying the game's donation screen during the inquiry, Rep. Jung asked, "Wasn't this same company flagged two years ago as well?" Chairman Seo admitted, "Yes." Pointing out that all three welfare organizations listed on the donation screen remained identical to those from two years ago, Rep. Jung criticized, "This was already known and measures were taken two years ago, yet the exact same thing is still happening."
Past similar incidents were also brought up. Rep. Jung explained that in a previous case, GRAC uncovered evidence of collusion between the game operator and money brokers and referred them for investigation together. The police investigation subsequently expanded into allegations of illegal sports betting ticket operations worth approximately 70 billion won, resulting in the forfeiture of around 5.32 billion won in criminal proceeds. He stated, "When they operate under titles like 'officially approved' and 'legal service of the Game Rating and Administration Committee,' anyone would be tempted."
Rep. Jung demanded a comprehensive investigation into all roughly 88 sports prediction games to check for illegal cashing-out practices. He added that games caught engaging in illegal activities should be separately managed as high-risk groups and that countermeasures should be reported back to him.
Chairman Seo answered, "Understood." He explained that following a series of crackdowns on sports prediction games over currency exchange issues, GRAC revoked ratings in 2023 and has since disallowed features easily exploited for cashing out, such as gifting and donating. He added, "The games currently causing issues are those that received ratings prior to 2023. We will take action through comprehensive and targeted investigations to address any problems and report our plan to you separately."
