Police in Vietnam's southern Ho Chi Minh City have, since the start of World Cup 2006, discovered three Internet-based soccer betting dens, branches of international gambling rings, local newspaper Young People reported Thursday.

The three dens run by a 52-year-old local woman, a 49-year-old man and a 36-year-old man, respectively, used laptops with Internet connection to receive bets averaging 20-30 million Vietnamese dong (US$1,258-1,887) each from local bettors.

The people, all from the city, acted as low-level subordinates of foreign soccer betting rings, the newspaper quoted a local investigator as saying. Each bet made via the foreign rings is worth between 100,000 dollars and 500,000 dollars.

Gambling, especially in the forms of soccer betting and card playing, is widespread in Vietnam, although all kinds of it, except for casinos designated for foreigners and overseas Vietnamese, are illegal in the country.

In Vietnam, where many people are passionate for both soccer and betting, dozens of local bettors and bookmakers were detained during major national and international soccer tournaments.