HCM City opens trial on huge online gambling case

Interface of M88.com (Source:Internet)

The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Court on August 24 held the first hearing on a big online gambling case via website 188bet.com, involving 66 defendants and 400 billion VND (17.74 million USD).

The case, masterminded by Vuong Chan Thanh, director of Vien Tin company, is the third major online betting brought to light so far this year in Ho Chi Minh City after the M88 and FUN88 rings.

According to the verdict, Thanh, together with his wife Dam Kim Khuyen, his sister Vuong Thuy Hang and brother-in-law Nguyen Thanh Trieu are charged with “organising gambling.”

Meanwhile, Do Tu Tuong, Lai Sieu Na and Ta Thi Bien face the charge of “illegal transport of money across the borders,” while the rest 59 defendants are accused of “gambling.”

Between November 2011 and November 2013, Thanh, Khuyen, Hang and Trieu as well as Vien Tin company’s staff opened 55 accounts at different banks for gamblers in Vietnam to transfer money to 188bet.com.

An amount of 195.2 billion VND (8.6 million USD) was transferred to accounts under the name of Tuong, Na and Bien. The money was then withdrawn and transported to China by a number of Chinese nationals.

The trial is scheduled to conclude on August 28.-VNA