Vietnam police uncover online gambling ring with over $38.6M in transactions processed

Police in the northern province of Hung Yen have uncovered an online gambling ring operating through the Net.win website, with transactions worth more than VND1 trillion (US$38.61 million) processed through bank accounts linked to the system, authorities have said.

The investigation began after police received a complaint about online gambling involving N.V.M, a resident of Tien Tien Commune.

M. told investigators that he had opened an account on Net.win in early 2025 to play gambling games including "Tai xiu" and "Tai xiu SHA".

Players deposited money into bank accounts provided by the website and converted it into points at a rate of VND1,000 for 1,000 points. Winnings could then be converted back into cash, police said.

Bank records showed that between Feb. 8 and Oct. 16, 2025, N.V.M made 165 deposits totalling nearly VND2 billion into 13 bank accounts linked to Net.win.

Further investigation found that the system used 13 accounts at different banks to process money, with the total value of transactions exceeding VND1 trillion, according to police.

Those allegedly operating the network hired other people to open bank accounts in their names and paid them monthly fees, investigators said. The account holders also carried out facial scans and other biometric verification when instructed to transfer money.

Police have so far identified 16 people allegedly involved in online gambling after reviewing transactions worth at least VND5 million between players and the Net.win system.

Several of those identified lost amounts ranging from several million dong to hundreds of millions of dong through gambling, police said.

The investigation is continuing to establish the roles of those allegedly running the network, how the system operated and how the money was transferred.

Police urged the public not to participate in online gambling or betting and warned against renting, lending, buying or selling bank accounts or carrying out facial scans or biometric authentication on behalf of others.

Such activities could facilitate criminal operations and expose those involved to legal liability, police said.