Vietnam sets crackdown on illegal gaming
Gaming operations allegedly related to money laundering were denounced by Phú Thọ Province authorities.
Vietnam.- Over 70 people were charged in Vietnam during a crackdown on online gaming operations that were allegedly related with an international money laundering case. The crackdown was planned and revealed to the local press by the Police Department of Northern Phú Thọ Province.
The case was exposed this week, when the police confirmed to national media that over 70 people were involved with illegal online gaming platforms, through which operators could have run an international financial fraud. According to the official statement published by vietnamnews.vn, the Phú Thọ police seized more than VNĐ1 trillion (US$43.9 million) from the gambling ring and found that an estimated $3.6 million in foreign currencies was transferred to overseas accounts.
“The crime involved using the internet to illegally appropriate assets, organise gambling rings, trade fake invoices and launder money in Phú Thọ Province and other localities,” said a statement released by the Ministry of Public Security. “The scam was discovered late last year and has been investigated since.”
After regulating the casino market, the Vietnamese government has announced further conditions to operate financial transactions relating to betting services. According to the Ministry of Finance, casino operators would now have to follow stricter security and tax collection laws to prevent money laundering.
