HAOI, Vietnam — Vietnamese police have broken up an online gambling ring worth almost $26 million and arrested 10 people along with confiscating guns and cash, officials said Tuesday, the latest big bust in a country where illicit betting flourishes despite tough laws. The ringleaders ran several websites for sports betting and other forms of gambling which had attracted hundreds of online punters since July, according to a local police source and state media. Most gambling is illegal in Vietnam, a one-party state where running online betting rings carries a maximum jail term of 10 years and only foreigners are legally allowed to bet at local casinos. Police are now investigating a massive illegal betting ring worth $422 million in the country’s biggest-ever gambling bust involving more than 100 people, including current and former officials. The online betting ring was allegedly run by the very officials tasked with policing online gambling at the Ministry of Public Security.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer September 25, 2018 07:45 UTC