Tuesday September 1, 2015 marked the close of an illegal gambling case in the Vietnam courts. Vuong Chan Thanh will spend eight years in prison for his involvement with illegal betting through website 188bet.com. 55 others involved in the scheme received anywhere from nine months to eight years in prison. The People’s Court in Ho Chi Minh City handed down the sentences and fines, which range between VND 30 and 50 million or $1,300 to $2,200 USD.

Authorities arrested Thanh back in 2013 along with his wife and five others on charges of gambling. Investigators stated the then director of Vien Tin International Telecommunication Ltd asked relatives and employees to open 55 bank accounts that were designed to receive and transfer gambling funds through the legitimate 188bet site, a Philippine licensed business. The gambling ring supposedly transferred US$30 million in wagers between 2011 and the groups arrest in 2013.

188Bet is the official betting partner for UK Premier League Clubs Liverpool and Manchester City. The website server is in the Philippines and the site itself has been online since 2005, according to research information from Tuoitrenews noted on calvinayre.com.