Vietnamese police make arrests in $39.5m illegal betting probe

Police in Vietnam have arrested three people in relation to an investigation into an illegal sports betting ring worth VND9 billion (€37 million/$39.5 million)

According to VnExpress, police said that Tran The Hung, Le Hong Trung and Ngo Minh An were operating the largest illegal betting ring halted by authorities in the country's Nghe An Province.

The trio are accused of taking wagers on football matches as far back as 2014, long before the country moved to legalise certain forms of sports betting earlier this year.

The ring is believed to have handled more than 39,000 illegal sports bets over a three-year period, with the highest wager placed amounting to VND7 million, significantly higher than the maximum bet limit set by the government upon legalising betting on international football matches.

Colonel Nguyen Xuan Thiem, head of the Province’s financial crime department in Nghe An Province, said: “These illegal bets were taken on international matches or on soccer leagues in England, France and Germany.”

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