Vietnamese police detain more than 100 gamblers

Vietnamese police have broken up a large gambling den and detained more than 100 punters.

The state-run Thanh Nien newspaper said on Friday that 200 police raided a guesthouse in Bac Ninh province near Hanoi that was offering a simple game involving the flipping of coins.

It said officers confiscated 5.5 billion dong (US$260,000) during Thursday’s operation.

The paper quoted the chief of national criminal police, Colonel Ho Si Tien, as saying the den was the biggest busted in northern Vietnam.

Aside from a few casinos where foreigners are allowed to game, gambling is illegal in Vietnam. It still remains widespread.