Vietnam: 23 arrested over illegal online gambling

Police in Vietnam have taken down an illegal online gambling ring that was operating across the country.

Vietnam.- More than 200 police officers were involved in an operation that foiled an alleged illegal online gambling ring in Vietnam. Officers carried out several raids in Hanoi, northern provinces of Lang Son, Quang Ninh, Thai Nguyen, and Phu Quoc Island, arresting 23 people.

During the raids, police seized documents and cars and detected nearly VND14tn (US$617.8m) in transactions since July last year. According to VN Express, among those arrested, were three men aged between 34 to 42 who are believed to be the leaders of the operation.

The illegal online gambling operation worked through a website and a mobile application that allowed gamblers to bet online. To play, gamblers had to purchase coins by transferring money directly to several dealers.

A few days ago, officers started investigating a Chinese couple for allegedly running an illegal online gambling site with servers outside the country. According to police, the couple and around 20 Vietnamese men and women were arrested for operating the illegal platform. 

Police raided a rented house and seized seven computers, 110 smartphones, 16 sim cards, 16 bank cards, and money. A woman is suspected of hiring three Vietnamese citizens and paying them between US$350 to US$440 a month to advertise the gambling platform on social media.

Vietnamese citizens are allowed to enter only two casinos and must pass strict criteria in order to do so.