4 Twins stars caught gambling in Australia

Four LG Twins players were spotted gambling at a casino in Australia on Monday, breaking Korean law.

The Twins, who are currently in Australia for spring training, were given a day off Monday and four players - pitchers Cha Woo-chan, Shim Soo-chang and Im Chan-kyu, as well as shortstop Oh Ji-hwan - took the opportunity to visit a casino.

Under Korean law, it is illegal for Korean citizens to gamble in casinos, whether they are inside or outside of the country, except for at the government sanctioned Kangwon Land.

Cha, Im and Oh were caught on camera by fans who were also visiting the casino. The club has since admitted the players were gambling, adding that none of the players put down more than 500 Australian dollars ($354).

The Twins reported the incident to the KBO. The league will determine whether and how the players will be punished.

Although gambling is illegal and there are legal ramifications for people caught, in practice prosecutors only tend to get involved in large cases that are part of more substantial allegations.

“It is the players’ fault,” said Twins general manager Cha Myeong-seok. “I’ll give them serious warnings and educate them to prevent the recurrence.”

This isn’t the first time KBO players have been caught gambling. In 2015, four Samsung Lions players including Oh Seung-hwan and Lim Chang-yong were caught gambling at a casino in Macau.

BY KANG YOO-RIM, PARK SO-YOUNG [kang.yoorim@joongang.co.kr]