Vietnam’s Ministry of Finance has taken significant steps in reforming casino regulations after an impact assessment report accelerated the development of a new gambling framework in the country.

Following the decision to amend the national gambling decree, the risk assessment has pushed plans forward, making next year potentially pivotal for the evolution of Vietnam’s gambling sector.

Under the updated rules, Vietnamese citizens will be allowed to gamble at The Corona Resort & Casino and The Grand Ho Tram, the latter of which has been granted a five-year pilot programme permitting entry for local players.

Instead of financial qualification requirements, an entry-fee model will be introduced as the government aims to simplify access procedures and enhance the player experience while maintaining protective measures.

The new regulatory package will be quite strict: local players will be required to pay a substantial entry fee — 2.5 million VND (~ $95) for every 24 hours spent in a casino.

This shift moves Vietnam away from the broader regional trend of restricting local gamblers. For instance, South Korean citizens are allowed to enter only one of the country’s 17 casinos, while Singapore imposes hefty entry fees on its residents.

In Japan — one of the continent’s largest potential markets, where casinos are expected to open later this year — full regulatory guidance has not yet been released. Nevertheless, it is likely that locals will face various restrictions, including entry charges and limits on the number of visits per week or month.

Allowing local players also brings new compliance obligations for casinos in Vietnam. They will now be required to maintain identification records, entry logs, and transaction data for at least five years. In addition, players must be at least 21 years old to enter gaming venues.

Several steps remain before the new framework is officially implemented, though completion may come as early as next year. Vietnam currently has nine land-based casinos, and the reform could encourage other venues to begin admitting local players as well.

The outlook for Vietnam’s gambling market has also been strengthened by stagnation in Thailand’s land-based gambling sector, which had previously been considered one of the fastest-growing potential markets in Asia.

The changes to casino legislation come amid a broader overhaul of Vietnam’s betting system, as the country continues to accelerate the modernisation of its domestic gambling regulations.

The new measures may result in stricter rules for Vietnamese players betting on international football.

According to local media, the Ministry of Finance has proposed raising the daily betting limit to 10 million VND (~ $400), compared to the current cap of 1 million VND (~ $40).

At first glance, this appears to be a tenfold increase. However, the current limit applies to each betting category, of which there may be 10 to 15 for an international match.

Thus, the newly proposed cap would effectively be lower than the existing one. The ministry explains that the change is motivated by a 1.8-fold increase in Vietnam’s per-capita income, now roughly $4400, and that the lower cap is intended to prevent excessive gambling.

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