A court in Viet Nam officially ruled on the country ‘ s largest illegal gambling case, and 43 persons involved were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 3 to 10 years, respectively, and four brothers and sisters in serious circumstances to prison terms ranging from 8 to 13 years. The charge is to operate an online gaming site with a value of US$ 3.8 billion.
The Government of Viet Nam indicated that the organization operated an online casino hidden behind digital payments. The website was developed rapidly, at one time with some 20,000 registered users and more than 25 million gambling accounts, and participants converted Vietnamese guilders to United StatesDT and encryption currencies such as the Ether Workshop instead of using cash bets. These figures are then transferred through electronic wallets and are used on illegal platforms for betting. The platform ‘ s recruitment is carried out through the mouth-to-mouth and social media of gamblers, and investigators have found that they encourage users to use channels such as Telegram to promote scams, with commissions for every new player that is introduced. This referral system allows it to rapidly expand across borders and eventually be detected and dismantled. This case opened up a new front for law enforcement. The Vietnamese police found that the money was used to buy luxury cars, villas and even to move abroad, through money-laundering. Currently, dozens of persons involved have been sentenced to prison and the police are still searching for an Indian man believed to be behind the scenes.
Viet Nam has taken a strong position on the use of undocumented gambling and encrypted currency. Since 2018, digital currency has been prohibited as a means of payment, although it remains in the grey area as an asset. Officials warned that the growing prevalence of digital currency in Internet games made regulation more difficult and created a wider risk of financial crime. The campaign reflected a broader regional trend, with several countries in South-East Asia reporting an increase in online gambling cases related to encrypted currency, prompting coordinated efforts to strengthen regulation and block fraud-related platforms. Measures have also been taken within Viet Nam to curb the channels of communication that are frequently used by such groups. Since June, Telegram ‘ s access has been restricted, with authorities claiming to have played a role in facilitating criminal networks and disseminating false information.
The latest convictions sent a clear signal that the Government intended to continue to combat illegal online gambling, in particular plans to bypass the traditional banking system using encrypted currency.