Police in Hung Yen province, working with the Ministry of Public Security's cybersecurity and high-tech crime department, have prosecuted 38 suspects over a network of websites that included Xoi Lac TV, the ministry said on 5 March 20261.
The case covers copyright and related rights infringement, organizing gambling and gambling, and the dissemination of depraved cultural products, according to the ministry's account1. The sites named include Xoilactv, ThapcamTV, CakeoTV, Banhkhuc, 8XBET, Hbet and Lu881. Police said the two alleged leaders are Pham Nguyen D, born in 1979 and registered in Thanh Xuan ward, Hanoi, and Nguyen Cong D, born in 1993 and registered in Tu Liem ward, Hanoi1.
Seized items included the following, the ministry said1:
- 20 laptops
- 35 high-specification desktop computers
- 3 tablets
- 64 smartphones of various kinds
- 4 dedicated livestream broadcasting sets used for commentary
Police also froze 58 bank accounts and seized cash, luxury cars, money in bank accounts and other assets with a combined value of more than VND 300 billion1. The ministry said the money the suspects earned illegally from the four offense categories reached "hundreds of billions of dong"1.
"thay đổi tên miền liên tục, sử dụng máy chủ đặt ở nước ngoài và phân tán hệ thống quản trị nhằm che giấu danh tính"
The ministry said the network had operated for several years, with participants in many provinces and cities nationwide as well as in Hung Yen province1. It said the methods used, including constantly changing domain names, servers located abroad and a dispersed administration system, made the collection of electronic evidence difficult1. The investigation was carried out with support from partners in digital copyright protection, it said1.
What it means for players
The prosecution covers both the operation of the sites and the gambling activity on them, so the case sits at the intersection of copyright enforcement and Vietnam's gambling rules. Anyone using sites of this kind in Vietnam is using services that police have now formally treated as a criminal enterprise, and the frozen accounts show that investigators are tracing money flows as well as operators. Vietnam's rules on what gambling is permitted, and who may take part, are set out in our guide to whether you can gamble in Vietnam, with the wider regional picture in gambling laws in Asia and online gambling in Asia.
The account freezes are a reminder that bank and e-wallet records form part of these investigations. Our pages on banks, e-wallets and frozen accounts and on renting out bank accounts or e-wallets to gambling sites explain how those rules work in the region. For arrests of players rather than operators, see cases by jurisdiction, and for cross-border questions, whether you can be prosecuted at home for gambling abroad.
What happens next
The ministry said the case is continuing to be expanded and that suspects in the network are still being pursued1. No trial date, court or further charges have been reported.
