HCMC – The Government has extended part of a pilot program that allows Vietnamese to gamble at certain domestic casinos, according to a recent decree.
Issued on November 4, Government Decree 145 prolongs the pilot program for the first casino already granted a license to allow Vietnamese citizens to gamble until the end of this year.
This means that Corona Casino on Phu Quoc Island off Kien Giang Province, currently the only operational casino in Vietnam permitted to serve locals, can continue to do so until the end of the year. This extension aligns with a Politburo decision in May.
In 2016, the Politburo approved a three-year pilot program for two casinos, with one on Phu Quoc and the other in Van Don in Quang Ninh Province, to admit Vietnamese patrons. However, while Corona Casino has been opened to both local and foreign gamblers since 2019, the Van Don casino has yet to begin operations.
The pilot period for Corona Casino was originally set to end in 2022.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Finance requested an extension of the pilot program for this casino by two years, until the end of 2024. The ministry argued that the pandemic had impacted the casino’s operations and complicated efforts to evaluate the program’s success.
Currently, Vietnam has nine casinos. All but Corona Casino cater exclusively to foreign visitors and overseas Vietnamese.
With this extension, these casinos in Vietnam, including the planned one in Van Don, are still subject to the original three-year pilot program, beginning on the date of their operating licenses.
