The King Club, located on the first floor of the Pullman hotel on Cat Linh street, Hanoi, and owned by Viet Hai Dang Company, is licensed to operate electronic games of chance for foreigners. According to the indictment recently issued by the Supreme People's Procuracy, to increase profits and gain illicit earnings, from 4/2/2024 to 22/6/2024, Kim In Sung allowed 145 Vietnamese people to gamble at the King Club with a cumulative total of 106 million USD (approximately 2,576 billion VND).

Kim In Sung was the mastermind, leader, and director of the gambling operations, receiving 100% of the profits. He gained illicit earnings of 9.2 million USD—approximately 222 billion VND—from the total amount gamblers lost.

Out of the 145 gamblers, authorities clarified the actions of 136 individuals, prosecuting them for gambling. Of the remaining individuals, one, a cadre working at the 108 Military Central Hospital at the time of the offense, was transferred to the military investigative agency according to their jurisdiction; 4 people are currently fugitives with arrest warrants issued; 2 people who gambled less than 5 million VND were proposed for administrative sanctions; and the remaining 2 individuals have mental health conditions.

Among those prosecuted for gambling are numerous businessmen, officials, civil servants, singers, doctors, and lawyers. They all understood and were fully aware that Vietnamese law prohibits gambling in the form of electronic games of chance, yet they still gambled at the King Club.

The cumulative total amount gamblers spent at the King Club was over 106 million USD. However, the majority lost. Only 23 people won, with a total of over 5.8 billion VND. Thus, the number of winners accounted for approximately 16%, with winnings equaling only 2.6% of the total losses—or 0.22% of the total amount gambled.

The biggest winner was Nguyen Thanh Bach (freelancer) with 2.2 billion VND over 95 games. The smallest winner was Vu Thanh Tung, who played 7 times, totaling 5,600 USD, and won 10 USD—approximately 240,700 VND.

Numerous Phu Tho officials came to gamble.

The case involved 7 officials and civil servants from Phu Tho province who came to Hanoi to gamble, including individuals from the same agency, both superiors and subordinates. Mr. Ho Dai Dung, former vice chairman of the former Phu Tho Provincial People's Committee, gambled the most.

The Supreme People's Procuracy determined that in 140 days, from 4/2/2024 to 22/6/2024, Mr. Dung gambled 95 times with a total of over 7 million USD (approximately 180 billion VND). Mr. Dung's largest bet was over 331,000 USD (approximately 7.9 billion VND), and his smallest was 4,920 USD (118 million VND). After the gambling sessions, Mr. Dung lost 759,269 USD (approximately 18 billion VND).

At the Department of Education, Culture, and Social Affairs, Office of Phu Tho Provincial People's Committee, two individuals gambled: Nguyen Tien Dung, former head of the department, and Nguyen Xuan Hue, former deputy head. Mr. Dung gambled 87 times with a cumulative total of 237,900 USD and lost over 2,200 USD—approximately 42 million VND. Deputy Head Hue gambled 61 times, totaling 447,000 USD, and lost 116,674 USD—approximately 2.8 billion VND.

Inside the King Club gambling den. Photo: Provided by the Police

Former Phu Tho Provincial Museum official To Thi Thu Huong is accused of opening a card under the name MRS RACHEL in June 2020. Huong gambled 69 times playing Roulette and Baccarat with a total of nearly 945,000 USD. Huong's largest bet was 60,000 USD, the smallest 470 USD, and she lost a total of 135,895 USD—approximately 3.2 billion VND.

Defendant Do Anh Tuan, former head of the Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Quality Management Sub-Department, Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Phu Tho Province, gambled 84 times over 4 months in 2024. Mr. Tuan gambled a total of 877,000 USD and lost 183,047 USD—approximately 4.4 billion VND.

Ta Quoc Thinh, former vice principal of Hung Vuong University, opened a card at the King Club in June 2020 under the name MR JOHN. Mr. Thinh is proven to have gambled 53 times playing Roulette and Baccarat, totaling 137,600 USD and losing 46,000 USD—approximately 1.1 billion VND.

A commonality among the defendants from Phu Tho is that they all opened accounts in 2020, except for Mr. Dung, who opened his in May 2023, and they all gambled playing Roulette and Baccarat.

Male singer spent 4.3 million USD gambling 116 times

Among the defendants are two singers: Nguyen The Vu and Vu Ngoc Ha. Vu previously worked at the Song and Dance Ensemble of Military Region 5, then left the military and pursued a freelance artistic career. Under the name MR TROY, Vu gambled 116 times playing Slot and Baccarat with a cumulative total of 4.3 million USD and lost nearly 82,000 USD—approximately 2 billion VND.

Singer Vu Ngoc Ha is accused of gambling once playing Baccarat with a total of over 2,600 USD and losing 732 USD—approximately 17 million VND.

The Supreme People's Procuracy alleges that Nguyen Van Hung, an employee of Muong Thanh Group, gambled 81 times playing Slot, Roulette, and Baccarat with a cumulative total of 531,800 USD. Mr. Hung's largest bet was over 52,500 USD, the smallest 268 USD, and he lost 142,100 USD—approximately 3.4 billion VND.

Another Muong Thanh official, defendant Truong Xuan Danh, under the name MR SANCHO, gambled 45 times from 15/2/2024 to 20/6/2024 playing Roulette. Mr. Danh gambled a total of 58,700 USD, with the largest bet being 7,600 USD and the smallest 399 USD, and lost a total of 282 USD—approximately 6.8 million VND.