Police arrest 116 in Vietnam gambling den

dpa German Press Agency
Published: Thursday October 19, 2006

Hanoi- Police raided a private home and arrested 116 gamblers in northern Vietnam as part of an ongoing crackdown on gambling and corruption, authorities said Thursday. Authorities seized five cars, 31 motorbikes, 12 mobile phones and 470 million dong (30,000 dollars) in the raid in Hung Yen province, 50 kilometers east of Hanoi.

The owner of the home and suspected organizer of the gambling den, Nguyen Ngoc Hung, 45, escaped and police are searching for him, said Bui Ngoc Phi, head of the social crime investigation department of Hung Yen province.

When police arrived, the gamblers were found while playing "xoc dia", an even-odd dice throwing game.

"The gamblers include 30 women, many of whom are also prostitutes," Phi said. "We don't know yet how many of them are state officials."

According to the policeman, the prostitutes were there also to serve unlucky gamblers who wanted to get rid of bad luck.

"This is the largest gambling case that has ever been busted in Hung Yen province," Phi said. "They all will be charged with gambling."

Vietnamese law calls for prison terms of up to seven years for illegal gambling.

Gambling is considered a "social evil" by Vietnam's ruling Communist Party. Earlier this year, an illegal football-betting scheme run by state officials was found to have diverted several million dollars in state funds into betting on European matches.

© 2006 dpa German Press Agency