$1.9M Euro, Copa America football betting ring busted

By Dac Thanh July 2, 2024 | 06:29 am PT

Members of a football betting ring at a police station in Quang Nam Province, July 1, 2024. Photo by police

Police in central Quang Nam Province have busted a ring organizing bets for matches at the ongoing Euro 2024 and Copa America competitions, with transactions amounting to over VND50 billion (US$1.9 million) within eight days.

Nguyen Huu Loc, 41, a Quang Nam resident, has been identified as the leader of the ring.

As of Monday, provincial police have arrested more than 20 suspects involved in the gambling and betting ring led by Loc.

The arrests came after police found that Loc organized for others to bet on matches of the ongoing European Football Championship and the Copa America.

On June 30, authorities summoned Loc and more than 20 people for questioning.

After extracting data from May 23, authorities accused the group of organizing online gambling involving more than VND50 billion.

The case is currently under further investigation.

In Vietnam, most forms of gambling, including sports betting, are illegal, with some exceptions such as state-run lotteries.