Vietnam police arrest 26 for Euro gambling ring

Vietnamese police have arrested 26 people after uncovering an illegal football betting ring set up to cash in on the Euro 2012 championship, local media reported Tuesday. The ring, allegedly headed by 37-year-old Le Van Lung from southern Dong Thap province -- who was among those been arrested -- placed bets on major Euro matches online, the VNExpress news site said. The other suspects are believed to have worked for Lung as betting agents. Police seized more than $42,000 in cash during raids on Monday and Tuesday in several Mekong delta provinces and in southern Ho Chi Minh City. Gambling is illegal in football-mad Vietnam but the country routinely sees an explosion of underground betting rings during major international football events. Earlier this month, more than 100 people were arrested for running illegal football betting rings in a series of coordinated police raids across the country, media reports said at the time.