TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — An illegal gambling den for Vietnamese residents in central Taiwan that had facilitated transactions of NT$10 million (US$329,937) was busted, according to the immigration authorities.

More than ten gamblers were arrested at the underground gambling facility in a residential property in Chiayi County’s Minxiong Township. They were engaged in the illegal game of Xoc Dia (色碟), a game popular in Vietnam.

All but two of the 18 arrested gamblers and staff workers were Vietnamese migrant workers or immigrants, according to a squad of the National Immigration Agency’s Southern Administration Corps, which carried out a raid with police on a tip-off.

Incidents have been reported of violence against migrant workers who failed to repay their debts, according to immigration officials.

Items discovered by police include gambling paraphernalia, NT$390,000 in cash, gambling ledgers, machetes, and baseball bats. The arrested will face charges of Offenses of Gambling, pursuant to the Criminal Code (刑法), per CNA.

Illegal Vietnamese gambling den busted in Chiayi. (CNA photos)