This archive report was first published on 29 July 2019.
On July 27, 2019, a massive raid by 500 police officers in Hai Phong, Vietnam, brought down a Chinese-run online gambling ring, detaining over 380 Chinese nationals.
The operation, considered the biggest ever in terms of scale and the number of foreigners breaking laws on Vietnamese soil, was run from a gated community where rooms were used to transact online bets worth over $400 million.
According to state-run Vietnam Television, the ring fielded online wagers from Chinese punters on sports betting and ran an illegal lottery.
Police also confiscated nearly 2,000 smartphones, 530 computers, bank cards, and cash during the raid.
While Vietnam has started loosening its rules on domestic gambling, allowing citizens to bet in casinos on a trial basis and opening up some sports betting, lucrative illegal operations have mushroomed, prompting a crackdown on domestic gambling rings.
