A screenshot from an online forum shows a user sharing proof of participating in a bet on President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment via a U.S.-based private gambling site. Captured from online community

As the Constitutional Court nears its verdict on the impeachment trial of President Yoon Suk Yeol, illegal online gambling, dubbed "impeachment betting," is spreading rapidly across online communities.

Similar betting activity occurred in 2017 during the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye, but this latest surge marks the return of the trend after eight years.

Posts promoting illegal betting have been spotted in several online gambling communities on Thursday. One post reads, "Our playground offers 1.47 odds on Yoon's impeachment," implying that users could earn 1.47 times their stake if the impeachment is upheld.

In Korea, all betting outside the state-run Sports Toto (which has a legal limit of 100,000 won ($75) per person) is illegal. Nevertheless, comments asking for invitation codes, which are often required to register for illegal platforms, poured in under the post.

Some users have also boasted of circumventing domestic law by betting via overseas platforms using cryptocurrency. One user shared a screenshot showing a 1 million won wager placed on the international betting site Polymarket, claiming it was "legal because it's overseas."

As of midday Wednesday, Polymarket offered 1.44 odds on impeachment being upheld and 4.34 odds on it being dismissed, indicating that bettors see impeachment as more likely. A bet of 10,000 won would return 14,400 won if impeachment is upheld but 43,400 won if it is dismissed.

However, legal experts warn that betting on such platforms still violates Korean law. "Even if the site is based overseas, winnings from gambling are considered illegal earnings under Korean law," said attorney Kwak Joon-ho.

Betting on national crises not new

Illegal betting on political events has a history in Korea. Ahead of the 2017 impeachment ruling, some sites even held bets on how many justices would vote to uphold the motion.

The imprisonment of key figures in the Park Geun-hye administration and the outcome of the subsequent presidential election also became common subjects of betting. Some platforms even drew public outrage by betting on the number of missing bodies during the 2014 Sewol ferry disaster.

Mental health experts warn that such trends are harmful. "Illegal gambling in times of national crisis sends the wrong message that chaos can be turned into profit," Lee Hae-kook, a professor of psychiatry at the Catholic University of Korea, said. "It erodes public conscience and promotes gambling behavior."

A screenshot from an illegal gambling site in March 2017 shows a betting board on the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye, ahead of the Constitutional Court's ruling.

Others caution that illegal betting on political outcomes could distort the democratic process. "If people see elections as a way to make money, it could lead to manipulated voting behavior or skewed polling results," said Lee Joon-han, a political science professor at Incheon National University.

Several countries, including Thailand and France, have already banned access to platforms like Polymarket, citing concerns over the gamification of politics.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.