Casino boss, players sentenced to jail

      A Chinese man has been sentenced to four years in jail for admitting Vietnamese into his casino, while four gamblers received between 20 months probation and three years in jail.
A raid by Ministry of Public Security operatives and police in the southern coastal province of Ba RiaVung Tau on May 26, 2007 caught Zhao Chun Cheng, owner of the DIC Star night club in the town of Vung
Tau, playing cards with Le Van Ngoc, Phan Kim Loan and Phan Truong Ton, all from Ho Chi Minh City, and Trinh Thi Ha from Binh Duong Province.
The provincial People’s Court on Thursday sentenced Cheng to four years in jail for organizing gambling while the others were found guilty of gambling. Vietnamese laws prohibit nationals from gambling but allow hotels rated four-stars or above to run casinos and gaming rooms exclusively for holders of foreign passports.
Ha received three years in jail, Ngoc two years, Loan 20 months and Ton a suspended sentence of 20 months.
The 46-year-old owner of the club, located in the CapSainJacques Hotel, and the 50-year-old Ha had fled the scene of the bust and didn’t attend the trial.
Police apprehended a total of 217 people, including nine foreigners, during the raid. Investigators are now working on locating the two fugitives.