
Popular South Korean TV personality and comedian Lee Soo-geun is very the gambler, it appears. (Image source: asianwiki)
We tend, rightly, to think about North Korea as the area where nothing is allowed and no one can have any fun. But it turns out that in their even more seemingly Westernized cousin to the south, the law posseses an iron fist also.
Southern Korea makes gambling save that is illegal a couple of state-run and strictly limited opportunities. Yet, lately, a small number of well-known South Korean celebrities have risked it all for the sake of a gambling that is quick, and possess been caught red-handed by the authorities there.
Celebs Get Swept Up
Among those caught up within the gambling allegations really are a well-known TV host/comedian, two A-list variety show hosts, and a former singer for the culturally popular variety that is k-pop. They truly are now all under research for illegal sports gambling.
The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office has announced that popular tv comedian Lee Soo-geun has been summoned for questioning, based on suspicions that he wagered hundreds of millions of Korean won (1KRW is equal to approximately $0.93) on English Premier League soccer matches via a gambling website that is private.
Following news of the comedian’s alleged bad behavior, Lee Soo-geun announced his motives to go out of all programs he is currently appearing on so as to ‘take some time to reflect,’ according to broadcaster KBS, much like show host Kim Yong-man did when he was found to be illegally gambling in April earlier this present year.
Kim Yong-man has now begun television that is making once again, therefore obviously he has finished reflecting on his conduct after being offered an eight-month suspended prison term and 120 hours of community service. And he even bet over one billion Korean won (that’s the currency, not a victory) on foreign gambling sites.
Tak Jae-hoon, a television entertainer and show host who reached fame as half associated with band that is two-man Kko Kko, has additionally been called in for enquiry, based on the regional media, again for suspicion of unlawful recreations gambling. The spouse regarding the musical organization, Shin Jung-hwan, has also faced allegations of illegal gambling.
Under Investigation
In total, reports indicate that between six and eight popular South television that is korean are now being investigated in connection to unlawful sports wagering. Most notable among them all for the overall public would likely be Tony An, a former singer of the now parted hit boy band H.O.T., who was summoned last thirty days for their alleged role in the wagering process that is illegal.
Operated beneath the direction of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Sports Toto could be the only appropriate sports betting web site in Korea, therefore the upper gaming limit is set to 100,000 won per match, whereas the illegal sites into the country have no such wagering limits and therefore are demonstrably not regulated by any government authority.
But celebrities aren’t the only ones who need to be careful, as Yoon Ae-sook, a counsellor during the Seoul Gambling Addiction Prevention and Treatment Centre, explains that on the web gambling addiction is now more prevalent in that country. According to the center, around huuuge review 2.6 million Koreans have a gambling issue, which means a relatively high 7.6 percent of the population that is adult. That is a lot more than twice the price in the general global population.
‘ As people can easily access the sites, the number of people who’re exposed for them is rising. Some lose billions of won regarding the web sites,’ explained Yoon Ae-sook. ‘No one is immune from gambling. If a individual earns cash gambling, they spend more money to win more, while when they lose, they make an effort to recover their losses.’
But according to broadcasting insiders, celebrities in Korea are lured into gambling as a result of the lifestyles which don’t afford them the most common pastimes of the general public.
‘Entertainers can not take in excessively because of their tight schedules, and simply because they’re famous they can not just kick back once again anywhere and relax,’ stated Ahn Sang-hwi, a producer at tvN. ‘ They can’t even date for fear to getting their pictures throughout the gossip pages, so their outlet that is only is.’
Brand New On The Web Poker Site Pays U.S. Players a Quarter to Take A Seat
A new online poker site called Quarter Poker claims to fund tournament players with $ .25 a day, but a couple of aspects raise questions.
A fresh, innovative and apparently completely legal for U.S. players poker site aims to bridge the space between the play-money gambler and the real-money one, and they are doing this by really providing you bankroll, free of charge.
Providing You With Bankroll
Before you get too excited, that bankroll is just a quarter. But given that, according to the website, you will get a new shiny one each day, and can cash out as soon as you hit $50, it at the very least provides the game a semblance of seriousness. In the event that you get bust, you must wait twenty four hours getting back in action with another quarter.
The unusual website is called Quarter Poker, and because you aren’t depositing money whenever you want, it claims to be legal in every U.S. state. Of course, since it’s never been done before that can compare with this, that continues to be become seen.
But Who’s This Guy?
Try though we did erstwhile investigative reporters that our company is we’re able to not find, in concrete anywhere, the names of the dudes who came up with this idea, or where their funding is coming from either. We had to patch together bits of PR and news to come up with even the name of this guy in the pitch video clip: Alex Klinghoffer. At minimum, we thought it had been similar guy; the somewhat grainy bio picture on his personal website seems like maybe it’s the same guy, but their resume and bio bear no mention whatsoever of the QP site. We finally implemented a link on his website that took us to their Facebook page which had one mention of QP going live, and some images with a girlfriend that is beautiful some pretty well-heeled looking young men. It claims he’s in Kansas. Maybe he’s a trust fund child, although not mentioning your capital source for a new site, or any partners, or even yourself, is odd to state the least.
Having said that, Klinghoffer does star in his web site’s promo video, which is about as slick as the normal made-at-home ones many online marketers post.
All we can state is, we’ve covered enough online site launches to say that, if you don’t actually fishy, this way of launching is not the norm. It begs the relevant question: what is not being said right here? On the other hand, we do see Klinghoffer answering questions directly on different poker forums, who knows, possibly he just sucks at self-promotion.
QP claims they won’t make cash on the website they also hint at a future membership fee, but for now, it’s free until they have enough players to attract advertisers.
Performance Issues
That’s the good news. Now here’s the not-so-good news. In the site’s FAQs, they built the web site themselves, and centered on some for the early player Facebook comments, it shows. Looks like they quietly launched on Sept. 29, and as of October 10 (12 days later), they noted they certainly were nevertheless waiting for a new player to truly cash out the $50. We grant you, with small tournament tables therefore the possiblity to win about $1.25 for first, that may take awhile, and you’d have become running as an Ethiopian marathoner to make it here before 2015. But that’s the least of the issues so far.
A sampling of Facebook comments on their page and there aren’t many were mostly frustrated with disconnection problems and unpopulated tables ( the site does say in their FAQs until they pull in enough players to stop using them) that they are using bots the equivalent of shills at a land table.
And you can cash out at $50, for now anyway, you will only be receiving a 2:1 ratio, i.e., $25 in your actual cashout although they say. Again, they blame this on a tiny initial start-up base and say that will alter as time passes and with the addition of membership costs. You are able to, theoretically anyway, partake in 6, 10, and 20-player Sit and Go tournaments; no cash games are mentioned at the moment, though apparently the site’s operators will consider that, aswell as MTTs, later on. The software is said to operate in internet explorer (we did see a few responses blasting the performance of exact same in the QP Facebook page), therefore no downloads are needed.
Now let’s get to the real elephant in the space: the legal angle. Klinghoffer is reportedly quoted as saying that ‘we had the model approved by one associated with gaming that is top in the nation. Even though the reason is in fact sort of complicated, it boils down to the undeniable fact that this is not gambling.’
Didn’t someone mention their ‘solid’ a lawyer after handing over millions to the Department of Justice in order to avoid a prison term that is lengthy? Hmmm.
Which in turn begs the question why you have to be 18 to play on the site. Zynga, for instance, only calls for than due to any gambling technicalities they could get nailed for that you be 13, and that’s presumably more so some hysterical parent doesn’t come after them.