Nine forwarded to prosecutors in Seoul screen-golf fraud over drugging and ball-steering
A group of nine people was forwarded to prosecutors on fraud and narcotics-control-law violations in a case tied to gambling at screen golf venues in the greater Seoul area. Prosecutors will decide how to pursue charges related to a scheme that allegedly fixed results by drugging opponents and using technology to steer the ball.
Two suspects, who have prior related offenses, were detained pending trial. The others remain under investigation as authorities pursue additional charges or identities of potential co-conspirators.
From December 2024 for about three months, the suspects engaged in 10 rounds of indoor golf gambling. They allegedly mixed a psychotropic drug into victims’ drinks or used a remote control linked to a computer and receiver to alter the ball’s direction when the opponent struck, enabling a manipulated win. The drug involved was lorazepam, a prescription tranquilizer.
Police say they targeted high-wealth participants at golf gatherings, building relationships that could be leveraged into high-stakes gambling. Among the participants, all players except the targeted victim were alleged to be co-conspirators in the scheme. The victim’s suspicions about abnormal performance prompted the police to investigate.
The investigation relied on footage the victim recorded on-site and other evidence collected by detectives, which led to the suspects’ confessions. A Seoul Police official described the case as unusually serious because the criminals used a psychotropic drug to threaten the victim’s health and safety in the course of the fraud.
Lorazepam is a prescription benzodiazepine; investigators noted that some of the doses involved were derived from medication prescribed for insomnia. The authorities emphasize that drugging someone to influence a game or bet constitutes a direct threat to life and health, heightening the case’s gravity relative to typical fraud cases.
For international readers, the case sheds light on the vulnerabilities of sport-adjacent gambling venues and technology-enabled manipulation. Screen golf has grown as a popular hybrid of sport and entertainment in Korea, with real-money play at stake. The episode illustrates how criminal networks can combine chemistry, digital tools, and social engineering to fix outcomes, underscoring implications for security, betting regulation, and consumer protection in related markets abroad.