Socialist Republic of Viet Nam
Vietnam permits gambling in narrow, heavily conditioned slices and criminalises the rest. Decree No. 03/2017/ND-CP, effective 15 March 2017, licenses land-based casinos at approved integrated resort projects, historically for foreign passport holders. Decree No. 06/2017/ND-CP, effective 31 March 2017, permits betting on horse races, greyhound races and FIFA-recognised international football, with bettors aged 21 or over, a minimum stake of VND 10,000, a daily cap of VND 1 million, and charter capital of VND 1 trillion for football and horse racing operators. The important gap is that no international football betting licence has been awarded, and the Ministry of Finance is still drafting the decree that would replace the 2017 framework. The other important development is Resolution No. 8/2025/NQ-CP of 26 November 2025, which continues the Phu Quoc pilot for qualifying Vietnamese citizens and opens five-year pilots at Ho Tram and Van Don. There is no online casino or online sportsbook licence, and online-only operation is not permitted.
Decree No. 03/2017/ND-CP on casino business activities
Decree No. 06/2017/ND-CP on betting business for horse racing, greyhound racing and international football
Resolution No. 8/2025/NQ-CP (pilot for Vietnamese citizens in casinos)
Draft decree replacing Decree No. 06/2017/ND-CP on betting business
Casino business licence (Decree No. 03/2017/ND-CP)
Betting business licence (Decree No. 06/2017/ND-CP)
Two threads. First, the replacement betting decree: the Ministry of Finance draft would license one international football betting operator for a five-year pilot with foreign ownership capped at 49 per cent and a minimum 10 per cent of net betting revenue to the state. Whether it is adopted, and whether anyone bids, will decide if Vietnam ever has a regulated sports betting market. Second, the citizen pilot: three properties are now inside it and the government is reviewing entry fees, so the direction of travel on domestic access is expansionary but incremental. Neither thread touches online supply.
Vietnam's first casino allowed to admit its own citizens narrowed its first-half loss to VND211bn, but accumulated losses stand at about $238m, liabilities have jumped to VND51.67tn and interest cover is 0.62. The government removed the end date on the locals pilot in November. The locals, the industry says, have not come.
The Premier League club put a Curaçao-licensed operator on its sleeve two days after the government's consultation on banning exactly that shut, while a £9m UKRI research consortium says the ban should reach licensed bookmakers too.
The International Alliance Combating Telecom and Cyber Fraud was formally launched on 10 September, with the United Nations and Interpol represented as observers. Its initiating countries include Cambodia, whose regulator has spent the past year revoking casino licences over links to exactly the scam operations the alliance exists to disrupt.
Kazakhstan has approved a major expansion of its gambling zones, authorizing new casinos on the Caspian coast and Lake Alakol. The move aims to capture foreign tourism revenue while maintaining strict domestic controls.
London, UK - 29th September 2025 - The government of Vietnam is making a renewed and significant attempt to establish a viable, regulated market for
Global sports betting data consumption rose 32% in Q1 2025, with emerging interest in table tennis and esports. Table tennis became the second most popular sport for betting, while esports surged by 75%. Asia leads in both esports engagement and revenue, with the market anticipated to reach $1.6 bil
U.S. President Donald Trump has reported more than $600 million in income from a diverse portfolio of ventures, including cryptocurrency, golf clubs, and
Vietnam Government Portal (baochinhphu.vn), Government of Viet Nam
Tilleke & Gibbins
Duane Morris Vietnam
The Investor (VAFIE)
VietnamNet
Contemporaneous reporting of Decree 06/2017/ND-CP, used for the age, stake limits, capital thresholds and effective date. The decree text itself was not read in an official Vietnamese or English version at review; no article number is asserted from this source.