Criminal case opened against online gambling ring

The Investigation Police Agency of the Ministry of Public Security prosecuted the case "Organizing gambling and gambling" through online football betting and lottery number trading, state media reported¹.

The raids took place on 15 July 2026, when the Criminal Police Department, working with the Cybersecurity Department, the Mobile Police Command and local police, detained 26 people and searched 11 locations in Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho and An Giang province¹. Officers seized 50 mobile phones, one laptop, one iPad, USD 10,000, VND 20 million in cash and 20 notebooks, along with documents and electronic data¹.

Investigators identified Vu Quang Minh as the head of the ring, running an online football betting system through the website Bong88.com, and Ly Hoang Oanh, known as Oanh Socola, as the organizer of lottery number trading, running a multi-level agent network and managing the ring's winnings and losses¹. Oanh and another person built and operated Telegram groups integrated with a bot called "HP79...." to automatically receive lottery slips, calculate results and manage the agent network¹. Police said the ring generated several billion dong in transactions each week, and that during the 2026 World Cup about one month of gambling organization reached several tens of billions of dong, with individual bets worth tens to hundreds of millions of dong¹.

A later police warning on the case gave different figures for the operation. It said police summoned 30 people and searched 11 locations, and that Oanh, Minh and 24 others were charged, the same total of 26 people as in the earlier account². The same warning described the ring as organized in multiple tiers, with leaders, agents, slip takers, managers and players, and said suspects used bank accounts, e-wallets and phone SIM cards registered in other people's names to hide identities and money flows².

What it means for players

Vietnam treats all online gambling as a crime, and the police warning states that "small betting amounts" do not mean "no handling"². Under Article 321 of the Penal Code, illegal gambling with stakes of VND 5 million to under VND 50 million, or under VND 5 million in specified circumstances, can bring a fine of VND 20 million to VND 100 million, non-custodial reform of up to three years, or six months to three years in prison². Where the internet or electronic means are used, or stakes reach VND 50 million or more, prison terms can run from three to seven years, plus an additional fine of VND 10 million to VND 50 million².

Even below the criminal threshold, illegal sports betting can draw a fine of VND 1 million to VND 2 million, soliciting others to gamble VND 5 million to VND 10 million, and some forms of organizing lottery or betting VND 10 million to VND 20 million². Buying, selling or renting payment accounts can draw fines of VND 100 million to VND 150 million for one to under 10 accounts and VND 150 million to VND 200 million for 10 or more².

The warning also listed invitations that should prompt a report to police, including joining football betting or lottery groups, joining closed groups or "closed odds", working as an agent or slip taker for commission, renting out accounts, SIM cards or e-wallets, receiving or transferring money for others, and installing gambling apps or websites of unknown origin².

What happens next

The Investigation Police Agency said it is continuing to expand the investigation, clarify the roles of those involved, trace money flows, and identify and pursue lower-level agents, players, bank accounts and electronic data systems¹. The Criminal Police Department asked anyone connected to the ring led by Vu Quang Minh and Ly Hoang Oanh to come forward and cooperate, saying this would be considered for leniency under the law¹. No trial date has been reported.

For the legal position across the region, see Gambling Laws in Asia: What Is Legal in 12 Jurisdictions and Online Gambling in Asia: The Law for Players in 12 Jurisdictions. Cases against players are tracked in Have Players Been Arrested for Online Gambling in Asia? Cases by Jurisdiction, and lottery agent schemes in Buying Lottery Tickets Online Through Agents and Foreign Lottery Sites.