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Vietnam Police Bust US$133 Million World Cup Betting Rings, Arrest 85
🇸🇬 Singapore /Crime & Justice

Vietnam Police Bust US$133 Million World Cup Betting Rings, Arrest 85

From CNA · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Official statement Outcome reported
  • Vietnamese police have arrested 85 individuals linked to two large-scale illegal betting rings totaling US$133 million.
  • The crackdown occurred during the World Cup as part of a government effort against illegal gambling.
  • The rings received master betting accounts from Cambodia, subdividing them for distribution to gamblers online.

Vietnamese authorities have dismantled two major illegal betting rings, arresting 85 people in connection with operations valued at approximately US$133 million. The arrests were made as part of a broader government crackdown on illicit gambling activities, particularly during the ongoing World Cup.

exceptionally large scale of operation and a high level of hierarchy and tight control

— Ho Chi Minh City PoliceDescribing the nature of the dismantled betting rings.

Police in Ho Chi Minh City described the targeted rings as having an "exceptionally large scale of operation" with a "high level of hierarchy and tight control." Since October, these rings had facilitated an estimated US$133 million in illegal transactions. The ring leaders reportedly confessed to obtaining "master-level betting accounts from individuals in Cambodia." These accounts were then subdivided into numerous agent and member accounts for distribution to gamblers via online platforms.

This operation is part of a wider campaign by Vietnam's public security ministry. Last week, the ministry announced the dismantling of 73 gambling operations nationwide, resulting in the arrest of 346 suspects involved in illegal gambling and football betting during the first 20 days of the World Cup. Colonel Bui Tuan Anh of the public security ministry stated that the transaction volumes in these cases amounted to "thousands of billions of dong (hundreds of millions of dollars)".

master-level betting accounts from individuals in Cambodia ... subdividing these accounts into numerous agent and member accounts to distribute to gamblers

— Ring LeadersConfession regarding the source and distribution method of betting accounts.

Online gambling is prohibited in Vietnam, a communist nation, yet lucrative illegal operations continue to thrive. Periodic clampdowns are common, especially during major international sporting events like the World Cup, which this year is being hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States, with the final match scheduled for July 19.

Transaction money in these cases totalled thousands of billions of dong (hundreds of millions of dollars)

— Colonel Bui Tuan AnhQuantifying the financial scale of the dismantled gambling operations.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by CNA in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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