Vietnam charges 30 suspects in ‘Xoi Lac TV’ illegal streaming, gambling case

The Ministry of Public Security’s Cybersecurity and High-Tech Crime Prevention Department (A05), in coordination with Hung Yen Province police, said the suspects were charged with copyright infringement, organizing gambling and gambling following an investigation into the platform.

The system, widely known as ‘Xoi Lac TV,’ showed signs of illegally broadcasting and redistributing sports content belonging to rights holders while embedding advertisements and links directing users to gambling-related platforms.

Authorities said the activities negatively affected social order and infringed the legitimate rights and interests of organizations and individuals.

Based on collected evidence, A05 and Hung Yen police dismantled the network on February 2.

Investigators said the operation involved numerous participants organized into separate groups and operating under the cover of technology companies.

Police identified two alleged ringleaders as P.N.D., born in 1979 in Hanoi, and N.C.D., born in 1993 in Hanoi.

The scale of damages linked to the alleged copyright infringement is still being assessed in coordination with rights holders and relevant agencies.

Because the case involves multiple data sources and intermediary channels, the total damages will be announced once verification is completed.

‘Xoi Lac TV’ has streamed international sports competitions online since 2016 and was developed by an anonymous group.

Police said commentators appearing in the platform’s videos claimed to be living overseas, while the domain name was registered through U.S.-based web hosting company GoDaddy and linked to servers with IP addresses located in the United States.