Vietnam makes arrests in operation against alleged Laos-based online gambling network
Authorities arrested 53 suspects allegedly linked to a network that presented itself as a financial services company.
Vietnam.- Authorities have charged 53 people allegedly linked to a cross-border online gambling network. Police say the network was run by Chinese nationals from Laos and processed more than VND4tn (US$152m) in transactions from Vietnamese players.
According to authorities, the group relocated from Cambodia to Laos in February 2026 following increased enforcement efforts against cybercrime. It allegedly created a company presented as a financial services provider and used it to process gambling-related transactions as an intermediary between players and operators, handling deposits and payouts in exchange for commissions ranging from 0.3 per cent to 0.8 per cent of daily transaction volumes.
Investigators estimate the network processed around VND40bn (US$1.5m) per day. Police said the organisation recruited Vietnamese citizens to work in Laos in departments responsible for customer service, payment processing, account management and financial operations and that proceeds were routed through cryptocurrency, including conversions into UST, before being transferred abroad. The investigation remains ongoing.
