Da Nang police arrest mastermind of $76mn online soccer betting ring

The Da Nang Police Investigation Agency on Saturday confirmed the arrest of 41-year-old Pham Cong Loc in Ho Chi Minh City, where he resided, and his transfer to Da Nang for prosecution on charges of organizing gambling under the Penal Code.

After months of tracking, detectives found that Loc had recently returned from Cambodia, where he maintained ties with gambling networks linked to his ring last year.

In November 2024, Da Nang police, in coordination with their counterparts in Ho Chi Minh City, dismantled the ring, arresting 12 alleged members and seizing over 10,000 pages of documents along with numerous electronic devices.

Further investigation led to additional arrests and a manhunt for Loc, who was ultimately identified as the mastermind behind the ring.

According to investigators, Loc frequently traveled to Cambodia to collude with gambling contacts and secured a "Super Master" account on the Bong88 betting platform.

He then subdivided this account into Master, Agent, and Member tiers, distributing them across his network to organize betting operations in multiple localities.

Investigators stated that the ring began operating in May 2024 and handled wagers totaling approximately VND2 trillion (some $76.5 million) until its dismantling.

Da Nang police said they are continuing to investigate the ring’s operations.