Football fever has taken a toll on gamblers in Vietnam.
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| Many gamblers have ended up in Binh Loi Pier |
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| A popular betting spot for students at District 9 during the World Cup. |
Gambling goes along with unpredictable consequences such as bankruptcy, loss of valuables, and even ones life could be at risk. Many football gamblers have found themselves in a bad situation with the World Cup opening the door for heavy-betting.
One morning in late June, a young man was found drowning in a part of the Sai Gon River near Binh Loi Pier at Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City.
After being rescued by Nguyen Van Chuc, the victim recovered consciousness and said that he was named Tan and lived at Hiep Binh Phuoc Ward, Thu Duc District, Ho Chi Minh City.
Tan was taken home. After talking to his family, people came to know about the reason he attempted to commit suicide. He had lost so much money from World Cup football pools that he had to borrow money and couldn't pay the debt. Thus, he decided to try to kill himself so he would no longer have to pay the debt.
Tan is not the only person who made this kind of decision to run away from gambling debts. There was another suicide case that happened near Binh Trieu Bridge at Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City. After being saved, the victim said that he gambled all of his family’s money away in football pools. He wanted to relieve his guilt for what he had done to his family. He went to the bridge and jumped into the river.
N.V.H, 29, who was born in Thanh Hoa Province, is also a football-better that lost too much. He tricked his colleagues into loaning him hundreds of millions of dong. He poured all the money into bets. When he lost all the money, he ran away.
Huynh Trong Nghia, 25, living at Ward 11, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City decided to steal so he could have enough money for gambling. However, he was caught in the act and arrested immediately by the police of District 10.
University students are also gambling at an alarming rate. When the police of District 9 came raided a cafe on 72 La Xuan Oai Road, Tang Nhon Phu A Ward, District 9, Ho Chi Minh City; they discovered 13 gamblers who were students from universities and colleges. Although these students may not receive heavy punishments, their illegal behaviours will go on record at the police station.
