Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security, together with Laos police, acted to end a cross-border gambling ring that added up to around US$50 million (about VND1.3 trillion), according to the ministry’s report on Friday.

The Criminal Police Department put legal procedures in motion for 31 suspects — 27 for organised gambling, 4 for gambling — linked to the operation led by Mai Anh Viet, age 44, from Dong Da District, Hanoi.

Key Players and Operations

Statements from police show that since 2023, Viet joined with Nguyen Huu Son, 43, from Ho Chi Minh City and they both worked with a foreign firm that managed online gambling services and websites.

Viet invited people from Vietnam to travel into Laos, letting reliable team members control different sites and operate gambling games in rotating all-day work shifts. To expand, Viet hired others in Vietnam to promote and livestream gambling on many social media platforms.

Every week, the group calculated winnings and losses and managed payments through global gambling agents and firms providing online services. Leaders paid all workers monthly, shared illegal gains, and continued ring activities. According to the officials, just in the first five months of 2025, this network allowed thousands of accounts to gamble and handled close to US$50 million in transactions.

Raids and Seizures

Main operators kept sums from hundreds of millions to several billion Vietnamese dong for themselves. A raid by Laos police in Vientiane uncovered 35 mobile phones, 12 desktop computers, and 25 laptops belonging to the group.

Information received from Laos’ Ministry of Public Security let Vietnamese police raid places in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Ninh Thuan, Dong Nai, and Phu Yen; they caught 10 suspects, seized 10 phones more, one computer, and livestream equipment.

On May 19, local authorities returned 29 Vietnamese people — one as young as 15 — plus devices and documents, to Vietnam’s Criminal Police Department for further steps. Investigators are still working on the case, looking for more people who joined the gambling operation.