Police in Vietnam have dismantled an online gambling network run on the Fi88 and KingGroup systems and arrested 19 suspects, state media reported on July 15, 2025. The case was handled by A05, the cybersecurity and high-tech crime unit of the Ministry of Public Security, working with Bac Ninh provincial police1.
Investigators said the operation had more than 30,000 members and transaction flows reaching thousands of billions of dong1. The systems were active in Vietnam, the Philippines and Cambodia, and all management and server infrastructure was located abroad, which authorities said complicated the collection of electronic evidence and tracing of money flows1.
Police identified Dinh Duc Phung, a resident of Ho Chi Minh City, as the alleged head of the network, operating under the alias "Simon." He was also described as one of the senior managers of the system in Vietnam. Phung Duc Luyen, alias "Lidas," was named as a lower-level manager handling customer care; Tran Nguyen Nhat Tien, alias "Felix," as head of backend development; and Vo Thi Duyen, alias "Cici," as head of the social media team1.
Beyond those named, others were assigned to programming, website design, marketing, sports commentary, administration of Telegram groups and customer service, forming what the report described as a professional operation run like a technology company. The network was built as a closed ecosystem of websites, applications, online football streaming platforms, social media and promotion systems to draw in players1.
What it means for players
The systems named in the case are offshore operations with servers and management outside Vietnam, and the arrests target people who ran and staffed them rather than the 30,000 account holders reported by police1. No information has been reported on whether any players or account holders face investigation. The case sits within a wider pattern of crackdowns on offshore online gambling hubs in Asia, in which enforcement usually falls on operators and their local staff. For anyone weighing where they play, the legal position for players across 12 jurisdictions and the record of player arrests in Asia set out what has happened in practice. Players on a site that stops processing withdrawals after an operator is taken down can find the practical steps in when an online gambling site won't pay out. Vietnam's own rules for residents and visitors are covered in Can I gamble in Vietnam?.
What happens next
Police said the investigation is continuing. No trial date, charges or court schedule has been reported.
