According to state-run news agency VNA on Friday, the decree said only eligible enterprises will be granted licenses to provide betting services on horse and dog racing while betting on international football will be conducted on a pilot basis. It gave no further details.
Currently, all forms of gambling including sports betting, except in government licensed casinos, are illegal in Vietnam. Anyone found to be in violation of the law is subject to steep fines and/or a severe prison sentence.
Earlier this month, the so called Casino Decree No. 03-2017, dated Jan. 16, 2017 was signed by the Prime Minister and released four days later on Jan. 20 to the public, allowing Vietnamese to gamble legally inside their country.
The ruling Vietnam Communist Party’s Politburo announced back in 2013 that it supported a new Special Economic Zone and integrated resort on Van Don Island, situated in the UNESCO World Heritage Ha Long Bay. Along with its support, the Politburo commissioned a study to assess the socio-economic impacts of allowing local Vietnamese to enter casinos.