Vietnamese police charge 31 in cross-border illegal gambling crackdown
Police in Vietnam have charged 31 people in connection with a cross-border illegal gambling ring, with assistance from officials in the neighboring country of Laos.
According to the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security, the joint operation dismantled an illegal gambling ring that took an estimated VND1.3 trillion (US$50.2 million)1 VND = 0.0000 USD
2025-05-27Powered by CMG CurrenShift in illegal bets. So far, a total of 27 people have been charged with organizing gambling and four with gambling.
Lao police raided multiple locations in the nation’s capital, Vientiane, arresting several Vietnamese nationals. They also seized 35 mobile phones and 37 computers during the raids, along with live streaming devices, which police say were used in advertising the gambling service.
In total, Lao police handed over 29 suspects to their counterparts in Vietnam on May 19, and the investigation subsequently expanded to include further raids in Vietnam and another 10 suspects.
According to Vietnamese police, the alleged ring leaders of the operation were Mai Anh Viet, from Hanoi, and Nguyen Huu Son, from Ho Chi Minh City. They are alleged to have recruited other Vietnamese citizens to run the gambling sites and to promote them on social media.
The police also highlighted the extent of the operation, which they alleged included monitoring bettors’ weekly profit and loss, making payments to overseas gambling providers, paying staff salaries, and splitting the profits between the ring members.
Gambling is illegal in both Laos and Vietnam, aside from some lottery games.
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Charlotte Capewell brings her passion for storytelling and expertise in writing, researching, and the gambling industry to every article she writes. Her specialties include the US gambling industry, regulator legislation, igaming, and more.
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