Ho Dai Dung, former deputy chairman of Phu Tho Province, was among 141 people sentenced at a trial Wednesday at the Hanoi People’s Court, 136 for gambling a total of $107 million and five for organizing the gambling, which took place at King Club casino in Pullman Hotel.
 |
|
Ho Dai Dung, former deputy chairman of Phu Tho Province, was given a prison sentence of three years and six month for illegal gambling. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy |
The organizers include three South Korean nationals, who got prison terms of two to four years.
Bui Van Huynh was the biggest gambler, putting up stakes of $16.3 million, and he was sentenced to four years and six months and ordered to pay a fine of VND50 million ($1,890).
Vu Phong, who bet $10.7 million, was awarded the same sentence. Singer Nguyen The Vu was sentenced to three years in prison for gambling $4.37 million, the fifth highest in the list.
Among the sentenced, sixty people were given suspended sentences, while 40 were let off with fines.
Explaining the sentencing, the court said accused who gambled exceptionally large sums or had poor criminal records got jail terms.
 |
|
The defendants seen at Hanoi People’s Court. Photo by VnExpress/Thanh Lam |
King Club was established by Viet Hai Dang Company and leased to South Korean man Kim In Sung in 2019.
Kim hired South Korean managers and Vietnamese staff, who allowed Vietnamese nationals to gamble there even though the casino was licensed for foreign gamblers only.
The Vietnamese were given foreign names and membership cards to play slot, roulette and baccarat.
The casino offered promotions to lure gamblers such as awarding $10,000 to each of the top 20 winners of the week.
Two executives of Viet Hai Dang Company, Phan Truong Giang and Nguyen Dinh Lam, assisted the Korean managers in evading detection.
Giang was sentenced to 30 months in prison, while Lam got a three-year suspended sentence.
Of the $107 million they gambled, the players won back only 0.22%.
Authorities identified Kim as the ringleader, and believe he earned $9.2 million. But he left Vietnam before the police discovered the illegal activities.
