North Chungcheong Police raid gambling den, seize 38 million won

Police raided a large illegal gambling den on Wednesday, confiscating 38 million won ($28,700) at a location in Boeun, North Chungcheong Province.

A total of 32 people, including the gambling den organizer in her 60s, were caught at the countryside vacation home, Boeun Police Station announced Monday.

They were suspected of playing an alternative form of Go-Stop, also known as Hwatu, where a group of people play the Asian card game from both sides of a line and combine scores on each side to decide the winning team.

Police targeted the vacation home following a report and investigation, and raided the scene while blocking exits at 11 p.m. on Feb. 22.

The gambling suspects were of diverse backgrounds, including self-employed, office workers and homemakers. Twenty-seven of them were women, as the game is popular among women gamblers, police explained.

While police are investigating the case without detaining most participants, they sought a detention warrant for the organizer, who reserved the site and was to collect 10 percent of all bets.