Vietnamese officials have introduced new regulations to govern electronic gaming machines in the country, including rules for foreigners playing in local casinos, side-betting and illegal online gambling.
According to Asia Gaming Brief, the new rules prohibit 15 acts relating to all “prize-winning electronic gaming machines,” a term that also includes slot machines.
Most Vietnamese casinos are closed to locals, with the exception of Corona Resort and Casino and Sun Group’s yet-to-be-built Van Don Integrated Resort.
Under the new rules, foreign visitors will now be required to prove they are foreigners or Vietnamese people residing abroad and document that they legally entered Vietnam through a valid visa.
The decree also stipulates that players are not to organize direct bets with one another based on the results of the “prize-winning electronic games.”
Other prohibited acts include illegally organizing and providing prize-winning electronic games online or via telecommunication networks.
In regards to slot machines, the new decree requires the minimum fixed payout ratio for slot machines to be 90 percent.
The new decree, scheduled to take effect February 12, is unlikely to have a major impact on casino operators in Vietnam, it could eventually lead to a central gaming regulator, according to Ben Lee, managing partner of IGamix Management and Consulting.
“There’s nothing really untoward” about the decree for the gaming industry,” Lee told AGB. “It’s basically concreting rules and understandings that were already in place. Previously there may have been rules and regulations but they were never formalized in terms of being in the law.
“It’s something they’ve been moving towards starting with the first gaming decree in 2017. They are slowly but surely working their way through the maze of provincial laws and certifications towards a centrally managed one.”
