Police in Nghe An province arrested Nguyen Van Tuan, 38, who lives in Ho Chi Minh City, and 26 other people on 9 June to investigate money laundering and gambling, according to VnExpress1. The arrests followed raids carried out between 25 May and 5 June.
- Tuan set up the network in 2025 through the website Sunwin1
- The suspects moved and concealed more than 75 billion dong from May 2025 to May 20261
- Police formed 20 task forces and raided locations in eight provinces and cities1
Investigators say Tuan set up an interprovincial gambling network in 2025, recruiting operatives and drawing players in Nghe An and other localities through the website Sunwin, offering tai xiu, casino games, card games and football betting1. He is accused of running the operation directly, using Telegram to contact and direct subordinates, and frequently changing transaction accounts and methods to avoid detection1.
From May 2025 to May 2026, the suspects moved and concealed more than 75 billion dong through a system of bank accounts and cryptocurrency trading, according to the investigation1. Bank accounts were arranged in multiple intermediary layers to hide the flow of money, which was then converted into the USDT cryptocurrency1.
The Nghe An provincial police, working with the Ministry of Public Security and police in several provinces and cities, formed 20 task forces and raided the network's locations simultaneously in Nghe An, Ho Chi Minh City, Thanh Hoa, Ha Tinh, Vinh Long, Dong Nai, Dong Thap and Gia Lai1. Police seized 27 mobile phones and six computer sets1.
"Ngày 9/6, Tuấn, 38 tuổi, trú TP HCM, cùng 26 người khác bị Công an tỉnh Nghệ An bắt tạm giam để điều tra hành vi Rửa tiền và Đánh bạc"
The case is being investigated further, the report said1. No trial date or additional charges have been reported.
What it means for players
The operation described is an online one, run through a website and Telegram rather than a physical venue, and it took bets on casino games, card games, tai xiu and football1. Players who used Sunwin or accounts connected to the network face the possibility that their transaction records, bank details and Telegram communications are now part of a money laundering investigation1. The report does not say whether any players, as distinct from operators, have been detained or charged, and it does not name any individual player.
In Vietnam, gambling outside state-permitted forms is illegal, and the case shows that authorities trace money through layered bank accounts and crypto conversions rather than only through the betting site itself1. The same pattern, multi-layer accounts and USDT conversion, is common in the scams covered in our guide to gambling scams and safety in Asia. Anyone assessing what is legal in the country can read our guide to whether you can gamble in Vietnam.
What happens next
The investigation is being expanded, according to VnExpress1. No further court dates, asset seizure figures beyond the phones and computers, or additional arrests have been reported.
