Couple runs lottery gambling ring worth nearly 2.3 billion VND

23 defendants at the trial. Photo: Phan Giang

On January 30, the People's Court of Quy Hop district opened a first-instance criminal trial to try 23 defendants for the crime of "Gambling". This is the gambling case in the form of lottery recording with the largest number of defendants ever in Quy Hop area.

According to the indictment, at about 6:30 p.m. on November 16, 2016, the Quy Hop Police Investigation Agency coordinated with the Quy Hop Town Police Department to inspect the family of Ms. Pham Thi Hoa (residing in Block 7, Quy Hop Town) and discovered that Nguyen Thi Mai Phuong was gambling by recording lottery numbers via mobile phone text messages with many subjects.

From the collected documents and evidence, the police agency arrested and urgently searched many other subjects at many locations including: Nguyen Dinh Binh, Nguyen Thi Hong, Nguyen Thi Mai Phuong, Nguyen Trung Kien, Phung Ngoc Nam, Hoang Khac Hung, Tran Thi Thuy, Vo Thi Ngoc, Nguyen Thi Thuong, Le Thi Ngan, Truong Van Bach, Le Thi Yen, Ho Thi Huyen, Hoang Thi Dieu, Tran Thi Dieu, Cao Thi Nhung, Vi Thi Huong, Truong Thi Yen, Nguyen Ngoc Anh, Hoang Thi Thuong, Truong Thi Loan and Le Thi Tuyet (residing in Quy Hop town and Tho Hop commune).

The police seized many pieces of evidence related to gambling such as lottery number lists, slot machines, many bank ATM cards, nearly 50 mobile phones, mobile SIM cards... and seized nearly 2.3 billion VND from 23 gamblers.

At the investigation agency, Phuong and Sy confessed that the people who wrote the lottery numbers and sent them to Phuong received a commission of 25-27% of the amount they wrote, and the lottery numbers were written for customers at 23,000 VND/lottery point and transferred to Phuong at 22,000 VND/lottery point.

If the person who buys the lottery number wins, they will receive 70 times the initial bet, and if they win the lottery, they will receive 80 thousand VND/lottery point. Those who write down the lottery number then text Phuong to calculate the winnings and losses for the day.

The basis for the subjects to determine the winning lottery numbers is the Northern Lottery results opened at 6:30 p.m. every day. After receiving the lottery numbers from the subjects, Phuong transferred them to Nguyen Dinh Binh with an agreement to deduct 2% commission on the total amount of lottery bets and 21,700 VND/lottery point.

The remaining gamblers gambled with each other to earn commissions. The gamblers also confessed that in addition to gambling in the form of recording lottery numbers, they also confessed to other “gambling” behaviors, but there was no basis for investigation and handling.

Based on the evidence and documents examined at the trial; based on the results of the debate at the trial on the basis of full and comprehensive consideration of the evidence, opinions of the Prosecutor, the defendant and other participants in the proceedings, the Panel of Judges sentenced the defendants Phuong to 30 months in prison, Hung to 25 months in prison, Kien to 25 months in prison, Hong to 24 months in prison, Nam to 25 months in prison, and Binh to 7 months in prison.

The defendants Sy, Yen, Dieu, Bach, Huyen, Ngan, Thuy, Thuong, Ngoc, and Loan were sentenced to 6-27 months in prison with suspended sentences.