Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok has been appointed an honorary police officer by the Korean National Police Agency and will serve as an ambassador for cyber-gambling prevention, the Seoul Economic Daily reported. The League of Legends professional will appear in promotional videos and posters for the country's Youth Cyber Gambling Voluntary Reporting System.
I feel honored to be appointed an honorary police officer and ambassador, and I feel a great sense of responsibility. I will actively participate in ambassador activities, such as widely publicizing the dangers of cyber gambling and the voluntary reporting system to young people.
The role is honorary rather than operational. Faker remains T1's mid laner, a position he has held since 2013, and holds a record six League of Legends world championships, three of them won in an undefeated stretch between 2023 and 2025. He was included in Time's 2026 list of the most influential people in sports and is a member of both the ESL Esports Hall of Fame and Riot's League of Legends Esports Hall of Legends.
How the reporting program works
The self-reporting system launched in May and runs until August 31. According to the report, it has recorded around 806 self-reports so far. Young people who come forward receive counselling and a gambling addiction assessment before being placed in a treatment program, and police plan to grant what the report describes as maximum leniency, weighing the amount gambled, the degree of remorse and progress through treatment.
Korean National Police Agency acting commissioner general Yoo Jae-sung said early detection was the point of the scheme, arguing that it is important to identify youth cyber gambling before the problem deepens and to begin counselling and treatment promptly. He said the agency hoped Faker's influence would give young people who need help the confidence to report without hesitation.
An awkward fit with esports sponsorship
The appointment lands a year after Riot Games moved in the opposite direction commercially. In 2025 the publisher opened Tier 1 League of Legends and Valorant teams in the United States and EMEA to sports betting sponsorships, a category it had previously kept out of its leagues.
Gambling harm is not a niche concern. The World Health Organization reported in 2024 that roughly 5.5% of women and nearly 12% of men globally experience some level of harm from gambling. Sports betting has grown sharply in recent years, and the National Conference of State Legislatures notes that the rise of prediction markets in the United States has lawmakers weighing where financial markets end and gambling laws begin.
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