On the sidelines of the Ministry of Public Security press conference on December 27, Major General Nguyen Thanh Tung, Deputy Director of Hanoi City Police, said that the agency is coordinating with relevant departments and branches to verify reports of signs of disguised gambling at the Bridge and Poker tournament held at the National Convention Center recently.

Major General Tung said that after receiving verification instructions from the Hanoi People's Committee, the Hanoi Police coordinated with the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism to conduct a direct inspection at the National Convention Center.

During the inspection, Hanoi City Police recorded statements from a number of participants and collected information, documents, and evidence, and discussed with the People's Procuracy at the same level for evaluation.

As a result, the two prosecution agencies have not yet discovered that the tournament participants bet or exchanged chips for cash. Therefore, there is not enough basis to determine that there are signs of organizing gambling and gambling.

According to Hanoi City Police, the "Bridge and Poker Open December 2023" tournament has a large number of participants, including many foreigners. The tournament is held at a large location in the city, but the management, operation, and organization of the tournament are not strict. In addition, using cash to pay participation fees and pay prizes in large amounts poses a potential risk of being exploited by subjects for gambling activities if not supervised.

Hanoi City Police have sent a report to the City People's Committee and recommended that relevant departments and branches strengthen inspection and supervision of the activities of Poker clubs in the city.

In addition, Hanoi City Police will continue to clarify the case and strictly handle any violations, if any.