Vietnam police refer 74 suspects in $5m illegal streaming case as iGaming demand drops

Police in Hung Yen, Vietnam, have recommended prosecution of 74 suspects linked to the XoilacTV illegal sports-streaming network, in a case investigators say generated more than VND 133 billion (roughly $5 million) from online gambling advertising. The recommendation was announced Sept 9.

Investigators said the operation streamed 1,529 unauthorized football matches and ran through two branded sub-projects, “90 Phut” and “Cakhia”. Police allege the network’s primary revenue model was combining unlicensed match broadcasts with embedded gambling advertising.

The referral cites alleged offenses including copyright infringement, organizing gambling, and distributing obscene material.

The enforcement action coincided with a measurable drop in Vietnam iGaming search demand, tracked by Blask’s Index. Blask reported demand fell 26.2% week-on-week in the Sept 7–13 window.

The press release suggests the timing may be connected, arguing that removing an ad-driven gambling promotion network could reduce visibility for gambling activity captured by Blask’s tracking. Blask Index is described as a real-time measure of market demand volume for iGaming brands in a given country, based on normalized search data; it measures search attention around tracked brands and markets rather than the shut network’s traffic directly.