Vietnam's Criminal Police Department (C02, Ministry of Public Security) said on May 23 that it had arrested suspected ringleader Mai Anh Viet, 44, a Hanoi resident, and 30 other people on charges of organizing gambling and gambling1. Investigators say Viet used the Laotian capital Vientiane as the base for a betting system covering football, baccarat and tai xiu1.
The people at the top of the operation profited by amounts ranging from several hundred million to several billion dong1.
Acting on information from C02, units of the Lao Ministry of Public Security inspected the ring's locations in Vientiane and found Viet and other Vietnamese nationals using computers, phones and laptops to run gambling websites and to advise and recruit players1. Officers seized 35 mobile phones, 12 desktop computers and 25 laptops1. On May 19, 29 Vietnamese nationals linked to the case, along with all exhibits and documents, were handed over to C02 for handling under Vietnamese law1.
From the Laotian material, C02 worked with police in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Ninh Thuan, Dong Nai and Phu Yen, among other places, to search multiple locations and summon 10 people connected to the case1. Exhibits seized in Vietnam included 10 phones, one desktop computer and equipment used to livestream and advertise the gambling operation1.
Suspects told investigators that from 2023, Viet colluded with Nguyen Huu Son, 41, a Ho Chi Minh City resident, to rent services from a company abroad that supplies gambling websites1. Viet recruited Vietnamese people to work for the ring in Laos, assigning them, mostly relatives, to run the system in shifts across several departments, and hired additional people in Vietnam to handle advertising and livestreaming on social media to attract players1. Each week the group compiled betting results to settle with international bookmakers and the company providing the gambling platform, and each month profits were divided among members1.
"Ngày 23/5, Cục Cảnh sát Hình sự (C02, Bộ Công an) cho biết đã bắt giữ nghi can cầm đầu Mai Anh Việt"
The Ministry of Public Security said breaking up the ring showed the effectiveness of cooperation between Vietnamese and Lao police against organized, transnational crime, and that the case is being widened1.
What it means for players
The case involves a betting network that operated websites and recruited players through social media advertising and livestreams, according to C021. People who placed bets through such channels were part of a system that Vietnamese police treat as illegal gambling, and the investigation is described as ongoing1. Vietnam's rules on online betting, and the record of player arrests elsewhere in Asia, are set out in the guide to online gambling enforcement against players and in Online Gambling in Asia: The Law for Players in 12 Jurisdictions. The wider legal position in the country is covered in Can I Gamble in Vietnam?.
The operation was run from Laos and settled with international bookmakers and a platform provider abroad, which is the pattern behind many cross-border sites that players in the region can reach1. Guidance on identifying fake or rigged operations is in Gambling Scams and Safety in Asia, and steps after losing money to a site are in Scammed by a Gambling Site? What to Do First.
What happens next
C02 says the case is being expanded1. No trial date, court or further charges have been reported.
