Vietnam police this week busted an illegal online betting ring that handled almost $26 million in bets.
According to The Star Online, local police raided several houses across the country and arrested ten people in connection with the gambling ring. Police also confiscated two rifles, over £15,000 (RM 82,600) in cash as well as multiple cars and phones.
A police statement revealed that the ringleaders ran several websites for sports betting and other gambling activities and managed to attract hundreds of customers since July. The illegal wagers were placed via password-protected websites including one known as Bóng88 before the ring was shut down.
Vietnam police bust a $26 million online gambling ring and arrest 10 people ⬇️ Read the full story below:https://t.co/hnrRycCtZD #Gambling #OnlineGambling #Vietnam #news
— UK Casino News (@UKCasinoNews) September 25, 2018
Bóng88 is an online casino licensed by the Philippines’ First Cagayan Leisure & Resort Corporation and has been featured in numerous police reports over the last few years.
The ringleaders also illegally offered customers high-interest loans and worked as “freelancers” to collect debts. The arrested individuals now face up to 10 years in prison.
Gambling in the country is illegal and running illegal betting rings has a maximum jail term of 10 years. Only tourists are allowed to legally gamble in casinos.
The government revealed last year that they would ease restrictions on sports betting and allow some Vietnamese residents to gamble in casinos on a pilot basis, however, the rules have yet to come into effect.
The news comes after a Ho Chi Minh City court sentenced the ringleader of a different online gambling ring to nine years in prison while his accomplices all received sentences of between five and seven years.
