If I remember correctly, almost all gambling is banned in Japan (or Korea?)
No, Japan is okay, I don't know if Korea is. I recently play Pachinko in Japan 5 years ago. and, I think almost casino in Japan is open to everyone, except age. So, Pachinko in Japan is dominated by aged players but I have never seen a player under 17 years play with his mom like the post above. This situation makes me think that the more advanced that country, then have high the moral standards to do not invite his son to gamble.
And, the government should not jail both (mom and son) at the same time ( 7 years), because the child doesn't knows anything, and better that son is get treated in a child protection home.
To answer the question mentioned above, South Korea is not really a gambling-friendly type of country and here's their rule about gambling:
Gambling by Korean citizens is prohibited both inside and outside of the nation.
However, In Korea, there are roughly 18 actual casinos that are designed only for foreign tourists, and any citizen belonging to Korea caught gambling faces harsh penalties. Only foreign tourists visiting the country can indulge in gambling activities and games.
SourceJapan is different, the country is almost open to all types of gambling activities as long as it's deemed legal by the government and given that the gambler is above 20 years old. Back to the topic, I don't think that the mother is in the right mind because she drags her own son into her mess instead of setting a good role model to her son and I strongly agree about the judge's verdict because they are much better inside the prison as they literally need some help especially the son so that his life won't be totally destroyed and will be given another chance to straighten up his life when his jail time are over.