First of three locals casinos
Starting this month, Vietnamese gamblers can gamble in Vietnam.
On January 19, Corona Casino Phu Quoc opened its door to locals. The casino, located on Phu Quoc Island in Kiên Giang Province, was selected to take part in a three-year trial to assess the impact of locals gaming in the Southeast Asian country.
Locals must comply with a number of restrictions in order to play. First is the entry fee of VND1 million (US$43), which gives them access to the casino for a 24-hour period. They must be at least 21 years old and verify that their monthly income exceeds VND10 million, according to VietNam News. The annual average salary in Vietnam is about $1,800 or $150 a month, reported Casino.org, citing data from the International Monetary Fund.
That doesn’t sound like much by Western standards, but salaries in Vietnam are rising at a rapid pace, 20 percent to 24 percent per year, exceeding the 10 percent to 14 percent growth rate in Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Myanmar, and Singapore, according to Asian financial services advisors Dezan Shira & Associates.
Corona offers 100 gaming tables featuring baccarat, roulette, blackjack, sic bo and poker; 1,000 slot machines; VIP gaming and a “sky casino”;
food and beverage options; and entertainment facilities including karaoke.
In 2016 the government of Vietnam first approved the three-year pilot program that will open three casinos to residents. The other two casinos include one now in development near Hanoi by Vietnamese firm Sun Group and another in the Van Don Special Administrative Economic Zone.
Corona is managed by Dutch firm Uppfinity Gaming Management and was designed by U.S. architectural firm Steelman Partners.
