Singaporean online gambling mastermind nabbed in Vietnam
Four suspects, including one Singaporean man, have been captured for being involved in a large-scale online gambling operation in Vietnam, with bets amounting to millions of US dollars.
Singaporean man Wong Boon Leong, 36, also called Lawrence, was nabbed by police officers for leading a gambling ring in the Dafabet network.
Police conducted a search at the suspect’s residence in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, and confiscated several documents, invoices of banking transactions along with hi-tech equipment and devices.
Three other Vietnamese in the city’s Go Vap District and District 7 were also captured, two for organizing gambling and the other for illegal betting.
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| Wong Boon Leong (Lawrence) is seen in this photo. Photo: Tuoi Tre |
Lawrence entered Vietnam in 2013 to organize an online gambling ring that ran multiple sites, including casino games and sports betting, according to police officers.
The operation was well-organized and included bank account hoarders, advertisers, market developers and others.
The online gambling site is called Dafabet, whose server is based in the Philippines, and is presented in different languages including Vietnamese.
The group marketed its services by having its employees hang banners and hand gifts with the Dafabet logo on key chains and lighters in many cafés, restaurants and beer clubs in the country.
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| Exhibits are seen at the residence of Lawrence in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Tuoi Tre |
Another division of the organization was in charge of opening bank accounts to carry out payments and transactions, as well as to wire money into Lawrence’s account.
Initial investigations show that thousands of people in Vietnam have participated in the activity and trillions of dong (VND1 trillion = US$44.35 million) have been accumulated, with the exact amount yet to be verified.
Police officers have spent over a year monitoring the operation before putting a stop to the illegal activity.
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| Products used to advertise the online gambling services of Dafabet.Photo: Tuoi Tre |
They also revealed that they have gathered all information related to the gamblers’ identities, the amount of money used, time, place and methods of their transactions.
Other suspects who are involved in the crime will also be summoned to support the investigation, they added.
This is the first illegal gambling operation caught by police organized and run by a foreigner, officers said.