Vietnam police bust Chinese-led online gambling ring in Laos that allegedly collected $152mn from Vietnamese players

Investigators from Quang Tri Province, north-central Vietnam announced on Tuesday that they had kick-started legal proceedings and charged 53 individuals with organizing gambling.

Police officers have also initiated a criminal case involving the offenses of online gambling and illegally collecting, storing, and disclosing bank account information for further investigation.

Among the 53 suspects, 34 have been placed in temporary detention, while the remaining 19 have been banned from leaving their places of residence.

According to the initial investigation, the cybersecurity and high-tech crime prevention division of the Quang Tri police department detected unusual activities linked to the OKWIN online gambling platform in early 2026.

Electronic data collected by investigators revealed that behind players’ deposit and withdrawal transactions was a professionally operated intermediary payment network with a tightly organized management structure involving participants both inside and outside Vietnam.

Leaders of Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security assigned the Quang Tri police department to take charge of the investigation in coordination with Lao authorities.

From early to mid-May, Le Van Hoa, deputy director of the Quang Tri police department, traveled to Laos to work with local law enforcement agencies in developing an operational plan.

Shortly afterward, Lao police, in coordination with Quang Tri police officers, raided two locations in Kaysone Phomvihane City in Savannakhet Province, Laos.

Investigators then analyzed electronic records and uncovered the activities of 56 Vietnamese suspects and one Chinese suspect linked to the gambling network.

Evidence showed that after Cambodia intensified its crackdown on cybercrime, the Chinese-led criminal group relocated its operations to Laos around February 2026.

There, the group established ASM Company, which was presented as a financial service provider to conceal its illegal activities.

Under the guise of a legitimate business, ASM functioned as a financial intermediary between online bookmakers and gamblers. All deposits and withdrawals were processed through the company's system.

When players deposited money into their gambling accounts, ASM received and transferred the funds to betting operators.

When players won bets, ASM handled the payout process. In return, the organization received commissions ranging from 0.3 percent to 0.8 percent of the total daily transaction value.

To operate the system, the Chinese organizers recruited numerous Vietnamese citizens to work in Laos under a closed-management model.

Employees lived and worked in centralized accommodations, had limited contact with the outside world, and were assigned to specialized departments, including operations and management, customer service, bank account leasing, fund collection, payment processing, and finance.

Investigators noted that the customer service division operated around the clock. Each employee was provided with a computer equipped with Telegram accounts and ASM PAY software to process gambling-related transactions.

According to investigators, the organization handled approximately VND40 billion (US$1.5 million) in gambling transactions every day from February 2026.

The total transaction value involving Vietnamese players processed through ASM was determined to exceed VND4 trillion.

The funds were allegedly transferred to the MIA trading platform, converted into UST cryptocurrency, and then routed through multiple channels to conceal their origin before ultimately being sent to China.

Authorities also identified the roles of two Vietnamese suspects who had initially fled: Trieu Khac Luan, 39, from Ho Chi Minh City, and Vay Len Phat, 31, from Dong Nai.

Investigators said the two men were key figures directly managing the system's operations under the direction of the Chinese organizers.

The Quang Tri police department coordinated with specialized units under the Ministry of Public Security, as well as police forces in Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai, to track down the suspects. Both were arrested after four days of pursuit.