Vietnamese police have smashed the country’s biggest illegal online gambling operation, estimated to have generated around $2.6bn in revenue. 

Police in the capital Hanoi arrested sixteen people in connection with the “No Hu” illegal online gambling ring, according to local media. 

Apparently the illegal ring started operating in 2018, with players buying credit from a large network of agents, who would also pay out winnings in cash. The agents were also offering players loans against collateral like motorcycles – one of the most popular forms of transport in the country. 

Authorities say No Hu had millions of active accounts, and hundreds of agents across Hanoi alone, processing transactions of up to USD $110 million per month. 

Online gambling and private card rooms are strictly prohibited in Vietnam. 

Illustrating just how seriously law enforcement in the country take breaches, last year 26-year-old Ngô Bá Khá, a high-profile social media influencer with nearly  2 million YouTube subscribers alone, was sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison for his part in an illegal gambling ring. Khá’s associates were also sentenced to between fifteen months and eight years and six months in jail. 

AYO.NEWS says:

In today’s borderless online world, it can be easy to forget how seriously some country’s governments are opposed to online gambling, especially those countries subject to Chinese pressure. 

Earlier this year we reported how Chinese authorities had announced closer collaboration with their counterparts in the Philippines to combat online crime associated with Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGOs). 

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