Dozens of defendants in 'hundred billion online gambling ring' sentenced

In just over a year, the online gambling ring led by Pham Huy Toan transacted more than 301 billion VND, illegally profiting hundreds of millions of VND.

The defendants listened to the verdict on the afternoon of May 9. Photo: Tan Chau

On the afternoon of May 9, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Court sentenced the Fun88... online gambling case, led by Pham Huy Toan, born in 1977, in Hanoi, director of FAM Media Joint Stock Company.

In addition to defendant Toan, who was sentenced to 4 years in prison for “Organizing gambling”, 24 other defendants were sentenced to between 9 months and 18 months in prison for “Gambling”. In addition, 3 defendants were exempted from criminal liability because the Court applied a new article of the Criminal Code on Gambling.

According to the indictment, from March 2013 to July 2014, Toan directed 10 employees to open 58 accounts at banks to represent Fun88, receiving and transferring more than 301 billion VND in betting and gambling money.

Toan is also the person who directly negotiates and transacts with gambling organizers on the Fun88 website... and several other websites.

By the time the case was exposed, Toan had illegally profited 726 million VND.

The verdict also affirmed that, in addition to the mastermind Pham Huy Toan, each of the 24 remaining defendants had at least once gambled from 2 million VND or more in a single bet.

At the trial, the defendants all admitted to their crimes as charged in the indictment./.

According to Tien Phong