Vietnamese govn't allows citizens to gamble in casinos

Under a new decree recently issued by the Vietnamese government, Vietnamese people aged 21 onward with a monthly income of at least 10 million Vietnamese dong (446 U.S. dollars) will be allowed to gamble in casinos in Vietnam.

Eligible people will be allowed to gamble in two casinos, including one under construction on Phu Quoc Island in southern Kien Giang province, and the other to be built in Van Don Special Economic Zone in northern Quang Ninh province, online newspaper VnExpress reported on Saturday.

Eligible people will be permitted to gamble in the two casinos in three years. After the three-year trial program, the Vietnamese government will reconsider the permission.

To gamble in the casinos, Vietnamese people will have to pay an entrance fee of 1 million Vietnamese dong (44.6 U.S. dollars) a day or 25 million Vietnamese dong (nearly 1,100 U.S. dollars) a month.

However, Vietnamese people who meet all the above-mentioned criteria will not be allowed to enter casinos if their family members, biological or adopted parents and children, formally request the casinos to deny their entry.

Before the new decree was introduced, access to licensed casinos in Vietnam was restricted to holders of foreign passports.

Gambling, except in government licensed casinos, is illegal in Vietnam. Anyone found to be in violation of this law is subject to steep fines and/or a severe prison sentence. Endit