Central police bust million-dollar gambling ring

NGHỆ AN — Three men involved in an online soccer gambling ring that engaged in transactions worth some VNĐ900 billion (US$39.6 million) were recently arrested by the police in central Nghệ An Province.

Colonel Nguyễn Xuân Thiêm, head of the Nghệ An Police’s Division of Economic Crimes and Management Positions Investigation (PC46), said this online soccer gambling ring had the largest transaction value ever uncovered in the province.

The arrested are Nghệ An-based 38-year-old Trần Thế Hùng, and Lê Hồng Trung, 30, and Ngô Minh An, 47, both from Vinh City.

Two laptops and five mobile phones containing data related to the gambling racket were also confiscated, police said.

Investigation revealed that from 2014 till date, Trần Thế Hùng used a "Master Agent" account (KX573) on website bong88.com to organise online bets.

Six "Agents" and 45 gamblers in Vinh City regularly participated in Hùng’s gambling racket.

Some 38,500 bets were placed since 2014 on the system with total transactions of some 23 million points. Each point could be exchanged for VNĐ40,000 ($1.8).

Trần Thế Hùng and Lê Hồng Trung were charged with “organising of gambling” and Ngô Minh Anh with “gambling”, police said.

Further investigation into the case is underway. — VNS