Reporting reward system, strengthening institutional devices, education on prevention of gambling addiction, sound purchase pledge, etc
“Integrated Supervisory Commission of the Gambling Industry”, the Gambling Industry Integrated Supervisory Commission (hereinafter referred to as the Gambling Industry) was launched, and for several years, the Gambling Industry Integrated Supervisory Commission has been implementing various policies with the aim of preventing gambling addiction, healing, rehabilitating, and eradicating illegal gambling, including casinos (Gangwon Land), horse racing (racing society), horse racing, racing, rowing, sports promotion voting rights (the National Sports Promotion Corporation), lottery, and bullfighting (Cheongdo Public Project Corporation).
In line with this government policy, Sports Toto is also carrying out various activities in connection with related organizations.
Sports Toto conducts a campaign to prevent gambling addiction with the Korea Gambling Problem Prevention and Healing Center at Sports Toto stores nationwide more than 20 times every year for users. Depending on the results of the self-inspection (CPGI) program, expert counseling or addiction prevention contents are presented, which is in progress in 17 cities nationwide until August this year.
TOTO REFRESH, a sound program to alleviate overindulgence, is also drawing attention. Toto Refresh, which has been implemented since last year, is a program that provides users with an opportunity to refresh through physical activities without immersing themselves in economic analysis and betting. Participants use small home training tools to imitate professional trainers’ exercise videos and avoid overindulgence. It has been conducted up to four times this year and is operating with about 150 people, and plans to gradually expand its effectiveness.
The self-purchase restriction system is for online users and consists of self-diagnosis evaluation, self-purchase plan, and self-rest plan. Users themselves set up game propensity diagnosis and evaluation, purchase and rest plans to raise awareness of overindulgence purchases. Starting with the self-diagnosis evaluation program in 2009, it expanded to the self-purchase plan in 2010 and the self-rest plan in 2011. It has been operating steadily for the past 14 years, and a total of 603,713 people have participated so far this year.
Sports Toto is also inducing online and offline users to learn about the right Toto purchase and purchase soundly every month. In particular, 180,404 people participated in the healthy purchase pledge from January to August this year, introducing laws for prohibition and punishment of illegal sports gambling.
It is also conducting training on consolidation for sellers. It guides violations based on the National Sports Promotion Act and shares cheating problems and accident cases such as youth sales. It also provides education for executives and employees of Sport Toto, and through sound development and anti-cheating education, it is familiar with cases of illegal and cheating and promotes awareness of cheating. Regular and non-regular training will also be conducted for working-level managers of 65 clubs.
In addition, Sports Toto continues to inform the soundness of the voting rights business and the public interest of the proceeds through the media. In line with the times, it uses SNS channels (YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, blogs, etc.) to convey the creation and utilization of profits from voting rights business, and is also producing entertainment programs to revitalize sports.
Above all, Sports Toto is active in activities to eradicate illegal sports gambling. To this end, it operates a reward system for reporting illegal sports gambling sites. Investigation cooperation with law enforcement agencies (police agencies, etc.) is also taking place in connection with related agencies (Korea Sports Promotion Agency, etc.). In addition, it regularly provides education to eradicate illegal sports gambling for officials of organizations by event with professional sports associations.
Since related publicity is also important, the health and public interest of the voting rights business is announced, and laws related to the risk and punishment of illegal sports gambling are also being spread steadily using Sports Toto’s official SNS (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, etc.). It also offers a healing program. An example is the opening of a 1:1 counseling channel with a professional counselor.
Institutional mechanisms for eradicating illegal sports gambling are also very important. Therefore, efforts to prepare the system continue.
In that extension, the introduction of a quick blocking system for illegal sports gambling sites is required. Some amendments to the “Act on Establishment and Operation of the Korea Communications Commission” (representatively proposed by Rep. Sung Il-jong and Rep. Cho Myung-hee, respectively) are currently pending at the National Assembly’s Science, Technology, Information, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee.