On 9/6, the Quang Tri Provincial Police Investigation Security Agency announced the prosecution of 53 individuals for organizing gambling; 34 of whom have been detained.
Authorities are expanding the investigation to clarify many other signs of violation.
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56 individuals from the gambling ring at the investigative agency. Photo: Quang Tri Provincial Police
According to the investigation, from early 2026, through professional operations, the Quang Tri Provincial Police's Cyber Security and High-Tech Crime Prevention Department discovered unusual activity related to the OKWIN online gambling portal.
Electronic data collected revealed that behind the deposit and withdrawal transactions was a professional intermediary payment network. This network operated with strict division of labor and management, involving many individuals both domestically and internationally.
Recognizing this as a large-scale, sophisticated gambling ring with foreign elements, the Ministry of Public Security assigned Quang Tri Provincial Police to lead the effort. They coordinated with the representative agency of the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security in Laos and Lao police to verify and clarify the case.
From 4/5 to 13/5, law enforcement agencies of both countries simultaneously deployed professional measures and collected evidence. The Lao Ministry of Public Security inspected two locations in Kay Sone Phomvihane city, Savannakhet province.
From the seized electronic documents, Quang Tri Provincial Police clarified the roles of 56 Vietnamese individuals and one Chinese individual involved in the ring.
Among them, Trieu Khac Luan (39 years old, residing in TP HCM) and Vay Len Phat (31 years old, residing in Dong Nai province) were identified as key links. They directly managed the system's operations under the direction of a Chinese individual.
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Trieu Khac Luan (left) and Vay Len Phat are key links in the criminal organization. Photo: Quang Tri Provincial Police
According to investigators, after Cambodia launched crackdowns on high-tech crime, the Chinese-led group moved its operations to Laos. There, they rented locations and recruited Vietnamese individuals to operate the online gambling system.
To conceal their activities, the group established ASM Company under the guise of providing financial services. However, authorities determined this was actually a hub for transferring money between online bookmakers and gamblers.
According to its operational mechanism, when players deposited money into betting accounts, ASM would receive and transfer it to the bookmaker. Conversely, when players won bets, this entity would process payouts. In return, the operating group earned 0,3% to 0,8% of the total daily transaction value.
Police determined that from 2/2026, this system processed approximately 40 billion VND in gambling money daily. The total transaction value involving Vietnamese players through ASM was identified as over 4 trillion VND.
To obscure the origin of the funds, the suspects transferred money to the MIA exchange, purchased UST, and then conducted multiple intermediary transactions before transferring it to China.
Dac Thanh
