Totalitarian societies always tend to maximize control over the population. Modern technology makes this much easier, as it allows for instant access to a lot of personal data. The intelligence services of such countries often use a whole arsenal of illegal tools not only to collect information about their citizens, but also to inflict damage on countries they consider their enemies. And this arsenal is used not only in the political or military spheres, but also in such a seemingly mundane area as entertainment. In this context, it is very interesting to look at the situation with online gambling in North Korea and its similarity to trends in the russian gambling sector.
Technology makes life easier for everyone. However, while democratic states like Ukraine use them for good, for example, by simplifying access to administrative or banking services, totalitarian regimes like russia and North Korea use them for criminal purposes. Instead of using them to increase the security and comfort of citizens, they see them as a tool for hybrid warfare and illicit enrichment.
Moreover, the methods they use to do this go far beyond classic cyberattacks or massive spam emails with viruses. The most popular method today is the massive collection of personal data for further criminal use. North Korean gambling sites are a prime example of this.
At first glance, this may seem absurd - what kind of gambling can there be in a country where you can be sent to labor camps for having the wrong hairstyle? However, South Korean intelligence data suggests that things are much more interesting.
The fact is that North Korean gambling platforms are developed in China. South Korean intelligence data suggests that there is at least one powerful group of North Korean software developers in China who are subordinated to their country's intelligence services and are engaged in the development of gambling platforms. They sell thousands of developed websites to South Korean illegal gambling syndicates. In addition, they sell not only the platforms themselves but also services for their monthly administration.
What does this mean? At least two very unpleasant facts.
1. North Korean services thus accumulate large financial resources in foreign currency for their activities. Under the conditions of total sanctions imposed on North Korea, when they do not have normal foreign economic relations with the civilized world, this is very important for them.
2. They gain access to personal data of players, which they then resell to fraudsters or use for other criminal purposes.
Similar goals are pursued by illegal gamblers on the Ukrainian gambling market, the vast majority of whom have ties to russia. This, in fact, is the main danger of playing on illegal websites. By choosing to play with illegal gamblers, you transfer your personal data to the aggressor country, and by losing money on their platforms, you actually finance russia's armed aggression against Ukraine. In this context, the situation is especially ridiculous when military personnel play on illegal platforms and spend their hard-earned money on the platforms of the aggressor country.
Therefore, the next time you do not want to go through the verification procedure on a gambling platform licensed in Ukraine and choose an obscure illegal website instead, think about whether the additional 10 minutes of your time are more valuable than the security of your personal data and funds? Do you want to transfer funds to pirate companies that serve the financial interests of a terrorist state that is waging this terrible war against our country? I hope these questions are rhetorical for you.