Vietnam's Ministry of Public Security said on July 2, 2026 that police nationwide had detected and broken up 73 cases involving 346 people linked to gambling and football betting during the 2026 World Cup, and that it will step up its fight against online football copyright infringement1.
Speaking at a press conference in Hanoi on the afternoon of July 2, 2026 on the ministry's work in the first half of the year, Colonel Bui Tuan Anh, deputy head of the Criminal Police Department for Social Order, said the World Cup period was a time when gambling and football betting offenses in Vietnam were active, especially online, drawing in other types of crime1. The ministry had ordered a peak campaign against the organization of gambling and betting before and during the tournament1.
On football copyright infringement, Colonel Pham Truong Giang, deputy head of the Criminal Police Department for Economic, Corruption and Smuggling Crimes, said violations are complex and increasingly sophisticated, with offenders frequently changing domain names, using servers abroad, anonymous services, social media and intermediary platforms, and multiple technical layers to hide their identities1. The ministry said it will keep targeting domestic networks and organizations while increasing international cooperation and mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, working with foreign law enforcement agencies, international organizations and cross-border platforms to identify the people actually running the operations, gather documents, evidence and electronic data, and trace the money earned1.
"tăng cường hợp tác quốc tế và tương trợ tư pháp về hình sự; phối hợp với cơ quan thực thi pháp luật các nước, các tổ chức quốc tế và các nền tảng xuyên biên giới để xác định đối tượng điều hành thực tế"
The ministry did not say how many of the 346 people have been charged, what offenses they face, or where the cases were concentrated. Those details have not been reported1.
What it means for players
Gambling and football betting are treated as criminal matters in Vietnam, and the figures cover only cases police say they broke up during the World Cup window, so they are a measure of enforcement activity rather than of how many people bet1. The ministry's stated focus on online operations, foreign servers and cross-border platforms means investigations are not limited to people placing bets inside the country; the stated aim is to identify those running the operations and to trace the money1. For locals, expats and visitors, the practical point is that the enforcement described here concerns activity Vietnamese police classify as illegal betting, and the ministry has not published any list of sites, operators or individuals involved1. Background on how Vietnam and its neighbors treat gambling is set out in Gambling Laws in Asia: What Is Legal in 12 Jurisdictions and Can I Gamble in Vietnam?. For Chinese citizens, the cross-border enforcement picture is covered in What Happens to Chinese Citizens Who Gamble on Cross-Border Sites?.
What happens next
The ministry said it will direct local police to verify and conclude expanded investigations into gambling and football betting cases in their areas, and to investigate and handle people who bet, those who organize betting, and related offenses1. It also said it will pursue international cooperation and mutual legal assistance to identify operators, collect evidence and electronic data, and verify the flow of illicit proceeds before handling cases under the law1. No timetable for those steps was given1.
