Major Blow to Betting Gangs During World Cup: Police Arrest Dozens, Millions Involved

A raid in late June targeted two gangs with "exceptionally large-scale operations" and "a high level of hierarchy and strict control," Ho Chi Minh City police stated in a press release.

Since October, the gangs had recorded illegal transactions estimated at $133 million (approximately 116 million euros), the report further detailed. The leaders of the aforementioned gangs admitted to providing bets "primarily to individuals from Cambodia, distributing these accounts among various agents."

Vietnam's Ministry of Public Security reported last week that police had dismantled 73 illegal gambling operations nationwide, arresting 346 suspects involved in illegal betting and similar football-related games during the first 20 days of the World Cup.

"Transaction money in these cases reached thousands of billions of dong (hundreds of millions of euros)," said Colonel Bui Tuan Anh from the Ministry of Public Security.

This year's FIFA World Cup is hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States, with the final match scheduled for July 19.