Gambling in Vietnam has become somewhat of a complex matter. Online gambling is legal in Vietnam.
In fact, if you keep a lookout for something around dịch vụ cá cược trực tuyến, which in Vietnamese translates to online betting service, you’ll find a whole host of Vietnamese betting sites with excellent bonuses that you can use to play with.
What confuses a lot of people is the fact that land casinos and betting shops in Vietnam are illegal. It’s as though the laws contradict themselves. In this article, we will delve into the Vietnam gambling laws and how they should follow what Thailand has implemented.
Online Gambling in Vietnam
In Vietnam, gambling is not an easy subject. It is taken very seriously. In fact, it is pretty much banned from Vietnamese citizens. There are some casino resorts across Vietnam which are open to tourists only.
The only exception to this is the lottery. There is a state lottery, which is the same throughout most countries in Asia. This is seen by the government as a lighter form of gambling. If locals are caught gambling, they will be given a big fine, which to a country like Vietnam and how poor a lot of people can be, these fines are very impactful. For this reason, most abide by the gambling laws in Vietnam.
There is also nothing stopping Vietnamese citizens from visiting overseas casinos and betting sites online. Anyone can access off-shore gambling platforms if they want to.
In addition to controlling gambling nationally, the Vietnamese government has integrated the matter into its foreign policy by adopting a stern approach towards its more relaxed neighbouring countries.
Vietnam and Cambodia don’t have a very good relationship and with Cambodia having more relaxed rules when it comes to gambling, over 3,000 Vietnamese cross over to Cambodia every day to visit a casino. This has created even more of a problem for the relationship between Vietnam and Cambodia.
When it comes to online gambling, the Vietnamese government takes a comparable authoritarian approach. Prior to Euro 2012, the authorities banned almost 200 foreign gambling websites, and citizens were left with no choice but to use Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to access these types of websites.
Popular Markets
Despite the ban on gambling, the Vietnamese are still strongly interested in gambling. The large number of sporting attractions allow people to bet thousands of pounds a month. Over time, football and rugby have gained more popularity, and the Vietnamese fans have even built a large interest in Aussie Rules Football. The presence of Australian expats has fuelled this interest, leading to the development of one of the top Aussie Rules teams in the Asian League: The Vietnam Swans. This club generates thousands of pounds worth of bets each month.
Access to online casinos hosted abroad has also fuelled a love for various casino games in Vietnam, with Pai Gow and Roulette ranking among the most favoured.
The future of gambling in Vietnam
Vietnam is developing new casinos and hopes that gambling will become completely legal. Vietnam is influenced by some of its neighbours, such as Singapore and Cambodia, to grow the casino industry due to how much it contributes to the country’s economy.
However, many question if Vietnam is ready for the gambling industry to grow as people believe gambling is a social problem. It may be challenging for the government to keep the complete ban on gambling as the number of casinos open to tourists continues to grow.
