A police raid on an online cockfight betting ring in one of Ho Chi Minh City’s outlying districts has brought dozens of suspects into custody.

Nearly 100 officers from the criminal police division under the Ministry of Public Security caught the gamblers red-handed at a villa in Thanh Loc Ward, District 12 at around 2:00 pm on Thursday.

Over 20 suspects were caught off guard, with some making failed escape attempts by jumping into a local canal.

Several gamblers playing cards in cabins behind the villa were also arrested.

Officers confiscated 33 motorcycles at the facility.

Preliminary information showed that the betting ring was run by Nguyen An Thanh, 31, who claimed he had been leasing the land behind the villa since March at VND6 million (US$263) per month.

The man constructed a set of rooms in which he installed four large screens used to air the battles live on cockfighting websites in the Philippines, Cambodia, and other countries.

Nguyen An Thanh is held at the police station. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Gamblers witnessed the battles, picked their favorite contenders, and named their bets, which accumulated up to billions of dong (VND1 billion = $43,890).

Thanh said he had hired three employees to help him collect the bets and serve complimentary food and drinks to his gamblers.

Primarily relying on a CCTV system and venue manager, 39-year-old Nguyen Tan Tai, Thanh was able to monitor the entire operation from a remote location.

In relevant news, police in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on Thursday evening broke up a separate organized gambling ring operated by a man named Tam specializing in cockfighting, card games, and ‘xoc dia,’ a popular Asian casino game played with different color tokens.

Officers confiscated nearly VND375 million ($16,458), 41 mobile phones, 27 motorcycles, 19 roosters, and a machete from the bust.

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