Vietnam police bust $26 mn online gambling ring

Hanoi: 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.
The network spanned several provinces in central and southern Vietnam and was headed by a 37-year-old identified as Huynh Quoc Viet. “We arrested seven people and three others turned themselves in. The investigation is still ongoing to see if anyone else is involved,” the police source told AFP Tuesday from the central province of Quang Nam. Several houses were raided across multiple cities and police confiscated two rifles, $20,000 in cash and several cars and mobile phones, according to the Quang Nam provincial police’s official website. The suspects also illegally offered high-interest loans. (AFP)