A media company that ostensibly deals in SEO and traffic business is essentially a promotion engine for illegal gambling websites. Recently, Hanoi police have initiated criminal proceedings against Super Thi Seo Media Services Co Ltd, with CEO Pham Ngoc Manh and 17 employees being arrested in one sweep. According to the PASA official website, this company has provided search ranking optimization and traffic import services for 22 Vietnamese illegal gambling websites, profiting approximately ₫37 billion ($160,000) since 2026. Their anti-detection measures include 41 USDT cryptocurrency wallets for payments and paying salaries entirely in cash.
Four teams with clear roles: Marketing + Search Optimization + IT + Customer Service + External Links
As disclosed by the police through Vietnamnet, Super Thi Seo is a well-structured enterprise, with independent teams for marketing, search optimization, information technology, customer service, and external links—however, its core business is not serving regular commercial clients but pushing illegal gambling platforms to the forefront of search results, continuously feeding the black market. CEO Pham Ngoc Manh manages 41 USDT cryptocurrency wallets for receiving payments, and the company pays its employees entirely in cash—the police explicitly stated that the design of this combination is to obscure the trace of funds and increase the difficulty of law enforcement tracking. During the operation, more than ₫70 billion ($268,000) in cash and cryptocurrency liquidation assets were seized, and ₫30 billion savings accounts were frozen, with 29 computers and 41 mobile phones confiscated.
SEO white-glove mode: 22 Vietnamese gambling sites pushed to the top of search results
The operation logic of Super Thi Seo is not complex but sufficiently covert: using SEO techniques to push 22 Vietnamese illegal gambling websites to the top of search engines—when users search for related keywords, the first thing they see are these black market sites packaged as "reliable platforms." The police charge is "illegal provision of information through computer networks and telecommunications networks," specifically pointing to search optimization, website ranking, and traffic generation services for prohibited gambling sites. Currently, 15 associated individuals are restricted from traveling, and the investigation is still ongoing. Similar law enforcement is intensifying in Asia—recently, Indonesian police also dismantled an online gambling network involving 320 foreign nationals in a commercial building in Jakarta, with suspects arrested while engaging in illegal activities.
Vietnam's simultaneous advancement of opening local casinos and cracking down on the black market
The timeline is intriguing. In January this year, Vietnam allowed local residents to enter casinos for the first time—Grand Ho Tram became the first casino open to Vietnamese citizens. The slight relaxation of legalization and the iron-fisted crackdown on the black market are advancing simultaneously—opening one door while blocking a row of windows. The signal from this case in Hanoi couldn't be clearer: the legal market can gradually open, but the gray industry chain that channels traffic to illegal gambling will not be tolerated.
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This article is from "PASA-Global iGaming Leaders," a gambling industry news channel:https://t.me/pasa_news
Original in-depth gambling channel:https://t.me/gamblingdeep
Free data reports: @pasa_research
PASA Matrix: @pasa002_bot
PASA official website: https://www.pasa.news
