Vietnamese police in Dan Nang say they have shut down an illegal soccer betting ring on the eve of the FIFA World Cup.
Police say they arrested at least seven people during raids on multiple addresses in central Vietnamese districts. These included Hoa Vang, Ba Na, Hoa Tien, and Dien Ban Dong, the nation’s state-run newspaper reported.
Officers say the gang also ran illegal lottery services.
Detectives also confiscated over $8,800 in cash and funds from bank accounts. They also seized mobile phones and other electronic devices.
Investigators said they found a 150-page cache of documents that served as a register of soccer bets and lottery ticket sales.
The groups processed daily transactions worth “hundreds of millions of Vietnamese dong,” officers said.
One million dong is worth around $40.
Vietnamese Police: Suspects Made Confessions
Police said all of the suspects admitted to “organizing and participating in gambling activities” during initial questioning.
Officers released images of the suspects being read their rights outside a police station.
The suspects reportedly used a range of IT-powered solutions to let their customers place bets via chat apps and text messages.
The group used these same platforms to send out digital lottery and soccer betting slips, and calculate winnings and losses, said detectives.
Police identified two men, the Hoa Vang-based duo Le Trung Hai (39) and Nguyen Quang Hieu (35), as the group’s masterminds.
Officers said 50 police and army personnel took part in the raids. The raids occurred simultaneously at eight addresses.
World Cup Warning
The ring allegedly began offering odds on soccer matches in January and accrued around $800,000 during less than six months of operation.
Police said prosecutors are set to indict the arrestees on charges of organizing and participating in gambling.
A spokesperson said the police investigation is ongoing as officers hunt for the ring’s patrons and other possible accomplices.
The raids come just days after Vietnamese cyberpolice issued a pre-World Cup public warning about illegal soccer betting sites.
A cyberpolice department spokesperson spoke of the need to “prevent and curb online soccer betting, especially during the World Cup.”
Citizens must “understand that betting on soccer matches for money or prizes is a form of gambling and will be prosecuted according to the law,” the spokesperson said.
“Do not participate in soccer betting in any form,” the officer said. “Encourage relatives and friends to be vigilant against deceptive methods used to entice them into online betting.”
Police urged members of the public to report online betting sites to the authorities. They concluded that the country should “build a safe and healthy online environment during the 2026 World Cup.”
A Soccer-Mad Nation
Soccer is one of the most popular sports in Vietnam. And police say illegal betting rates tend to soar during major international competitions.
Officers took down scores of betting sites before, during, and after the Euro 2024 soccer tournament, making arrests throughout the nation.
Elsewhere in Southeast Asia, the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok has issued a warning as Thai police prepare a gambling crackdown ahead of the World Cup.
The embassy told Chinese citizens in Thailand to refrain from illegal gambling-related activities or risk punishment and “severe financial losses.”
Earlier this year, police in Vietnam’s Quang Tri Province arrested six people in a raid on an online gambling ring accused of processing illegal bets worth around $4 million.
The post Vietnamese Police Swoop on $800K Soccer Betting Ring Ahead of World Cup appeared first on CasinoBeats.
