Vietnam busts football betting rings, arrests 97 suspects over $140 million transactions

Ho Chi Minh City police have arrested 97 individuals in connection with two massive football betting rings. The operation, led by the Criminal Police Department (PC02), dismantled a sophisticated network that had been operating across numerous Vietnamese provinces.

Authorities initiated a special investigation in early June after identifying a ring led by Huynh Le Thanh Long and his associates. The group allegedly organized and participated in football betting, using the Bong88.com website. This network extended its reach beyond Ho Chi Minh City to other parts of the country.

During a coordinated raid on June 29, involving police from Lam Dong province and other localities, 150 people were brought in for questioning. Key suspects, including Huynh Le Thanh Long and Nguyen Viet Bao Long, confessed to obtaining master accounts from Cambodia and distributing them to lower-level agents and bettors.

Initial investigations reveal that the total transaction volume within these rings from October 2025 to their disruption exceeded 3.5 trillion Vietnamese dong (approximately $140 million USD). Police described the criminal organization as exceptionally large, with a tightly controlled hierarchical structure and a wide operational scope. The investigation is ongoing to uncover all involved parties and their specific roles.

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The criminal organization is extremely large, with extremely tight organization and hierarchical management, and a wide operating scope across many provinces and cities.