Police bust illegal gambling den for Vietnamese residents in Taiwan
Authorities raided an illegal gambling ring believed to have brought in some NT$10m (US$329,937) in bets.
Taiwan: A total of 18 people were arrested after police in central Taiwan busted an illegal gambling den for Vietnamese residents that had facilitated transactions of NT$10m (US$329,937).
According to officers, those arrested were engaged in an illegal game called Xoc Dia, which is very popular in Vietnam.
According to a squad of the National Immigration Agency’s Southern Administration Corps, all those arrested were immigrant workers or Vietnamese immigrants, except for two people.
Taiwan News has reported incidents against migrant workers who failed to repay their debts.
During the raid, police seized gambling paraphernalia, NT$390,000 in cash, gambling ledgers, machetes, and baseball bats. Those arrested have been charged with illegal gambling.
Gambling in Taiwan is banned by the Criminal Code of the Republic of China. The only legal form of gambling in Taiwan is state-run lotteries. Casinos were legalized in 2009 but to date, none have been built.
