Raid on a casino with many beautiful girls and female students serving as waitresses.

Those involved in organizing the gambling den - Photo: Provided by PC45

On the afternoon of January 3rd, the Criminal Police Department (PC45) of the Ho Chi Minh City Police announced that, in coordination with the Binh Thanh District Police, they had dismantled a gambling ring operating through poker games for money, organized by Tran Tuan Anh (27 years old, residing in Tan Binh District), Tran Nguyen Anh Tu (26 years old, residing in District 7), and Nguyen Tan Phat (31 years old, residing in District 9). 21 people involved were temporarily detained.

According to PC45, through intelligence gathering, a form of poker (a type of card game similar to Binh Xap Xam) has recently emerged, with "Bride and Poker Clubs" appearing in many places, concealing disguised gambling activities that have caused public outrage.

Hiring beautiful girls and female students to serve wealthy clients.

Based on the verification results and collected documents, at 5:20 PM on December 29, 2017, the PC45 force, in coordination with the Binh Thanh District Police, uncovered a gambling operation involving poker for money organized by Tuan Anh, Anh Tu, and Tan Phat at a high-end apartment in Ward 22 (Binh Thanh District). A report was filed and 21 people involved were temporarily detained (including 3 Vietnamese-Americans).

At the scene, the police seized evidence including 522 plastic chips (equivalent to over 530 million VND), a box containing 57 chips (equivalent to 100 million VND), a poker table, several chairs for gamblers, a box for storing chips and gambling money, two notebooks recording the amount of chips exchanged and the debts of the gamblers, and many used decks of cards.

Continuing the investigation of those involved, the police seized over 318 million VND, 3,400 USD, 17 bank cards, 2 passports, 21 mobile phones of various types, and many other related items.

A beautiful young woman serves wealthy gamblers during their high-stakes gambling sessions - Photo: Provided by PC45

Through interrogation, those involved who were temporarily detained (including the organizers, the "dealers" - those who dealt the cards, and the high-stakes gamblers) all admitted to their criminal acts.

This is considered a high-end casino for wealthy individuals such as overseas Vietnamese, businessmen, business owners, and employees of large companies in the city.

At the time of the raid on the gambling den, the police detained four beautiful girls who were working as "fire girls" to serve the wealthy gamblers. These "fire girls" were recruited by the gambling den organizers, who sought out fresh-faced female students or young, attractive girls who had previously worked as receptionists for large companies.

Most of these "fresh-faced" girls previously knew people from recently established poker clubs. And it was these girls who enticed wealthy businessmen to participate in gambling activities at high-end apartment buildings...

Gamblers are betting 100 million VND per game!

According to PC45, Tuan Anh, Tan Phat, and Anh Tu were the three ringleaders who pooled approximately 400 million VND to organize a gambling den in the form of poker games for money at a high-end apartment in Ward 22, Binh Thanh District.

Tuan Anh was the registered owner of the apartment, renting it for $850 USD per month. The customers (gamblers) were recruited and enticed to the casino by Tuan Anh, Tan Phat, and Anh Tu.

Gamblers are assured of their safety by the organizers because the luxury apartment operates using fingerprint and personal access cards, and there is strict control over who enters and exits the apartment…

The casino has been operating for about two months, daily from 12 noon to 4 am the following day. It regularly attracts 10-20 high-stakes gamblers each day. Each game has 9 players against each other, with a minimum of 2 players participating.

Gamblers placed bets ranging from 10 to 100 million VND per game - Photo: Provided by PC45

The organizers stipulated that gamblers participating in the betting had to purchase chips with a minimum value of 5 million VND. On average, each gambler bet between 10 and 100 million VND per round.

Every day, Tuan Anh hired Nguyen Vi Tuyen (also known as Sy, 25 years old, residing in Binh Chanh district) to help exchange chips for money for gamblers (cash or bank transfer) and keep records of chip exchanges and debts.

Tuyen doesn't receive a salary but instead gets a percentage of the tips (or gratuities given to the servers) from the gamblers.

Tuan Anh also hired Nguyen Thi Ngoc Nhieu (30 years old, residing in Kien Giang province) to serve food and drinks to everyone at the casino. Tuan Anh paid Nhieu 10 million VND per month, including meals.

Decks of cards for playing Poker - Photo: Provided by PC45

Tuan Anh recruited and assigned four young, beautiful girls – Nguyen Thao Nguyen (24 years old, residing in Ben Tre province), Nguyen Phuong Thao (24 years old, residing in Phu Nhuan district), Pham Nguyen Minh Ha (25 years old, residing in District 1), and Doan Phuong Uyen (23 years old, residing in Hanoi) – to act as escorts for wealthy gamblers at the casino in shifts (each shift lasting 1 hour).

The income of these "hot girls" mainly comes from receiving a very generous percentage of tips from wealthy gamblers after their shifts. On lucky days, the "hot girls" also have an obligation to share the tips with Tuan Anh.

Hiring people to act as "decoy" gamblers.

Regarding the rules and methods of gambling, PC45 stated that gamblers who came to participate in gambling would meet Tuyen to exchange cash for chips.

When sitting down at a poker table, the "hot girls" will deal the cards to the gamblers, who will then bet against each other. Afterward, the "hot girls" will reveal their cards and compare scores (the scoring system is similar to the game of "xập xám").

For wealthy gamblers they knew, the casino organizers could offer chips on credit when needed, with payment made later. This payment method involved cash or bank transfers to Tuan Anh, Tan Phat, and Anh Tu.

Tuan Anh agreed with the gamblers that he would take a 4% commission on the winnings of each game (but with a maximum of 400,000 VND). On average, the commission collected each week ranged from 150-250 million VND. This total income was shared among Tuan Anh, Tan Phat, and Anh Tu.

According to PC45, during the investigation, the police discovered that some gamblers participating in the betting were actually "decoys" arranged by the organizers.

Specifically, these individuals pose as gamblers participating in high-stakes games at casinos to both entice and encourage other gamblers to participate, betting against each other with large sums of money...

Police temporarily detain 21 people in connection with the case - Photo: Provided by PC45

Related evidence - Photo: Provided by PC45

A new form of disguised gambling.

According to PC45, poker is now considered an intellectual sport, and the Ministry of Interior has authorized the establishment of the "Bridge and Poker Association".Across the country, "Poker Clubs" have been established to organize training sessions, competitions, and trial tournaments.

However, this type of sport has not yet been regulated by the sports sector with specific guidelines for organizing competitions and training.

During their operation, these clubs committed numerous violations (such as offering tournament prizes without notifying the authorities, registering members improperly, etc.).

Therefore, many individuals have taken advantage of the fact that poker is considered a sport, secretly organizing disguised gambling with very high stakes, causing many negative consequences for society.