141 prosecuted in US$107 million gambling ring in Hà Nội

Vietnam's Supreme People's Procuracy has prosecuted 141 people over an illegal gambling operation at King Club, inside Hà Nội's Pullman Hotel, according to a statement released on Friday¹. The case involves an estimated VNĐ2.6 trillion, nearly US$107 million, in gambling transactions, one of the largest of its kind in recent years¹.

Among the defendants are Hồ Đại Dũng, former Vice Chairman of the Phú Thọ Provincial People's Committee, and Ngô Ngọc Đức, former Secretary of the Party Committee of Hòa Bình City¹. Prosecutors allege both were regular players who wagered millions of US dollars over several months¹. Hồ Đại Dũng was charged with gambling on 95 separate occasions, wagering over $7 million in total, with a largest single bet above $331,000 and a smallest of nearly $5,000; he reportedly lost over $759,000¹. Ngô Ngọc Đức, who used the alias "Mr Lucky one," allegedly gambled 74 times on slot machines, roulette and baccarat, with total wagers above $4.2 million and losses of around $284,000¹.

King Club operated under a license to run electronic gaming for foreigners, was managed by Việt Hải Đăng Company and operated by HS Development Vietnam (HS Company) under a business contract¹. Authorities say Kim In Sung, director and legal representative of HS Company, hired three fellow South Koreans, Cho Choon Keun, Choi Jin Bok and Shim Hawn Hee, to help manage the club¹. In January 2020, Kim reportedly received internal approval to open the club's doors to Vietnamese citizens¹. Prosecutors allege Kim was the ringleader, directing daily operations and pocketing 100 percent of the profits, and is believed to have made more than $9.2 million in illegal profits from player losses¹. The three South Korean managers, along with two Vietnamese executives, were accused of helping run the scheme¹.

On June 22, 2024, police raided the club and caught 14 people gambling on electronic machines, seizing nearly US$1.6 million in cash and various foreign currencies on-site¹. Over five months, investigators say, the club allowed 145 Vietnamese gamblers to place illegal bets¹. Prosecutors say 136 of the defendants were Vietnamese citizens who knowingly violated the law, which prohibits them from gambling on electronic machines, and continued betting with King Club staff despite this¹.

What it means for players

The case turns on a licensing condition: King Club held a license to run electronic gaming for foreigners, and prosecutors say Vietnamese citizens were allowed to bet there anyway¹. Under the law cited in the case, Vietnamese citizens are prohibited from gambling on electronic machines, and 136 of the defendants are accused of knowingly breaking that rule¹. For foreign residents and visitors, the prosecution shows that a venue's license does not settle whether a particular customer was legally allowed to play, and that both players and the managers running a club can face charges¹. The amounts at issue are large: individual wagers in the case ran from nearly $5,000 to more than $331,000, and reported losses ran into the hundreds of thousands of dollars per player¹. How the case affects licensing or enforcement at other foreigner-only gaming venues has not been reported.

What happens next

The prosecution has been filed by the Supreme People's Procuracy, and the case now moves toward trial¹. No trial date, court schedule or sentencing range has been reported¹.