Nguyễn Đức Nghiêm, the alleged ringleader of the network. — VNA/VNS Photo

QUẢNG NGÃI — Police in the central province of Quảng Ngãi have dismantled an online football betting ring that handled transactions worth nearly VNĐ1.2 trillion (roughly US$46 million), arresting seven suspects in what authorities call one of the largest gambling operations ever uncovered in the province.

Investigators identified Nguyễn Đức Nghiêm, 32, a resident of Sơn Tịnh Commune, as the ringleader.

Between February and July 10 this year, Nghiêm allegedly controlled a master account on the betting site bong88ag.com, police said, funneling wagers down through a tiered network of sub-accounts he assigned to lower-level operators.

Those operators, in turn, parceled out access to agents and individual bettors across the internet.

The operation was tightly compartmentalised, police said, with a clear chain of command running from Nghiêm at the top down through regional agents to the bettors placing wagers.

Winnings and losses were settled entirely online. To cover its tracks, the network used burner accounts, SIM cards registered to other people and encrypted messaging apps, tactics that took investigators months to unravel.

Suspects summoned by police to give statements. — VNA/VNS Photo

The seven suspects now in custody are under investigation on charges of organising gambling and gambling. During the raids, police seized mobile phones, computers and other electronic devices, along with documents and additional evidence.

The bust follows a separate crackdown by the same provincial force just last month. In June, police busted another online gambling ring worth more than VNĐ600 billion ($23 million) and filed charges against 10 people connected to that case. — VNS