Reports suggest Vietnam’s Ministry of Finance is set to adjust its framework around domestic gambling engagement and somewhat replicate the polarising regulation utilised in Singapore. 

In a significant change for the sector, VietnamNet reports that locals will be forced to pay VND2.5 million (US$100) in order to engage with  casinos for 24 hours. 

The new framework will come in place of a full financial check, however the framework is set to be evolved to set new restrictions. 

It comes after recent reported exploration from Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long to allow a permanent exemption for local residents to gamble at the Phu Quoc’s Corona Resort & Casino.

Alongside mirroring legislation in place in Singapore, attempted limits to local residents caused significant friction for the now halted casino legislation in Thailand. 

Before the departure of Paetongtarn Shinawatra, she had pursued a framework that essentially blocked Thai residents from entering casinos. This was done by proposing an entry fee of US$150 for access and a regulation that would ensure at least US$1.5m in fixed deposits to play at the casino venues for Thai nationals.

It was thought that these efforts presented a clear push for the resorts in Thailand to be venues that largely focused on attracting tourists visiting the country.

Whilst the touted restrictions slowed the Thai casino progress, it was the downfall of Shinawatra’s government that eventually led to the complete halting of the bill. 

Thailand’s Bhumjaithai Party, the second biggest party in the country’s coalition Government, pulled back its support for the premiership and wilted the power of the Shinawatra Government following a phone leak between Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and Cambodia’s former Premier Hun Sen.

Controversy around the call was intensified as it came at a time when Thailand was embroiled in an escalating border dispute with Cambodia. In the call. Shinawatra is said to have criticised the Thai army for its role in a clash with Cambodian troops that triggered the ongoing hostilities.

The disruption was fuelled by gunfire and the death of a Cambodian soldier at the border in May, which triggered major political implications in Thailand and Cambodia, even leading to significant challenges for Cambodia’s casino sector. 

Although Shinawatra defended the conversation, claiming her comments were part of a strategy to ease border tensions, the Bhumjaithai Party said her actions “damaged the sovereignty and well-being of the country and the Thai Army”.

At the time of disruption, the bill was under review by a Senate Committee and the weakened majority threatened the passage of the Entertainment Bill at such a crucial moment

As Shinawatra’s premiership was toppled, and political volatility elevated, a motion was put forward to halt the progress of the bill and a final hurdle was hit for Thailand’s casino hopes. 

Tourist only restrictions are currently in place across  a myriad of casinos in Vietnam, including Hoiana near Hoi An, Ho Tram in Ba Ria–Vung Tau and Corona in Phu Quoc, following the ending of the latter’s trial efforts for locals.

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