“Extending the Pilot Program: A Proposal to Allow Vietnamese Nationals to Continue Gambling at Casinos”

The Ministry of Finance has recently submitted a dossier to the Ministry of Justice for appraisal of the draft Decree amending Clause 2, Article 12 of Decree No. 03/2017/ND-CP on casino business.

In the report sent to the Government, the Ministry of Finance stated that Decree No. 03/2017/ND-CP stipulates a three-year pilot period for allowing Vietnamese people to gamble in casinos, starting from the date the first casino enterprise is permitted to implement the pilot program.

According to this decree, the pilot program was set to conclude in December 2022, followed by an evaluation and review by the Government. From January 2022 to August 2023, the Government and the Party Committee of the Government conducted an evaluation of the pilot program that allowed Vietnamese people to gamble at the Phu Quoc casino, preparing a report to submit to the Politburo for guidance on the assessment of the pilot program.

In May, the Politburo issued a conclusion agreeing to extend the pilot period for allowing Vietnamese people to gamble in casinos until the end of this year for the project in Phu Quoc. For the project in Van Don, the pilot period for Vietnamese people to gamble in the casino is three years from the date the project commences casino operations (currently, casino operations have not yet started at this location).

To promptly institutionalize the regulations on extending the pilot period for Vietnamese people to gamble at casinos, the Ministry of Finance proposed to the Prime Minister to build and issue a decree amending and supplementing Decree No. 03/2017/ND-CP (amending and supplementing Clause 2, Article 12) regarding the extension of the pilot period for allowing Vietnamese people to gamble at casinos, following a simplified procedure.

According to the draft decree, for the first casino enterprise permitted by competent authorities to implement the pilot program for Vietnamese people to gamble in casinos, the pilot period will last until December 31, 2024. For other casino enterprises that may be permitted by competent authorities to implement the pilot program for Vietnamese people to gamble in casinos, the pilot period will be three years from the date of being granted a certificate of eligibility for casino business operations.

The Ministry of Finance, in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the State Bank of Vietnam, and local authorities, will conduct an evaluation and review of the implementation of the pilot program. Subsequently, the competent authority will consider and decide on terminating or continuing the pilot program.

Previously, in 2016, the Politburo agreed to allow two casino projects in Phu Quoc and Van Don to pilot the admission of Vietnamese people. Thus far, only the Phu Quoc Casino has been in operation since January 2019. In 2022, the Ministry of Finance continued to propose to the Government and the Politburo to extend the pilot program for another two years at the Phu Quoc Casino (Kien Giang) until 2024. The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted casino operations, shortening the pilot period and resulting in outcomes that fell short of expectations.

There are currently nine operating casino projects in the country (six small-scale and three large-scale casinos). In 2023, the casino business contributed VND 2,541 billion to the state budget and created approximately 8,500 jobs.

The pilot program for allowing Vietnamese people to gamble in casinos has been implemented only in Phu Quoc. From 2019 to 2023, the cumulative revenue reached VND 6,404 billion, with VND 3,679 billion contributed to the state budget. A total of 295,943 Vietnamese people, ranging in age from 21 to 97 years old, participated in gambling activities at the casino during this period.