M88 Site Named in Gambling Bust
Seven individuals have been arrested for their connection to a Vietnamese sports betting ring said to have taken in US$48 million.
Those arrested early January 17, 2012 include Nguyen Le Sang, 37; Nguyen Le Giang, 50; Le Van Hai, 25; Nguyen Thai Ngan, 22; Pham Thi Kim Loan, 41; Cu Huy Giap and Nguyen Anh Thai.
The first five people are from Ho Chi Minh City, while the other two are from Hanoi, police said.
The investigation has been active for three years, according to Colonel Ho Sy Tien, head of the Police Department for High-tech Crime Prevention and Control.
The betting operation utilized a website called M88, which was run through Mansion Sports based out of Gibraltar.
The M88 site is registered at the Enterprise Center Tower in Makati City Philippines and has a license from the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority. M88 reportedly employs nearly 150 bookmakers manage odds for 3,000 different live games.
M88 provides instructions on how to put money in and take money out of the website’s bank accounts at many well-known Vietnamese banks, Tien told local media outlets.
- Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com
