Play casino, why singapore without coming to Phu Quoc, Van Don

01-10-2020 |  

In 2 resort projects with a pilot casino for Vietnamese people to play, one has come into operation. However, do strict controls make players feel "having fun"?

"Are players comfortable?"

As the first person to bring entertainment dog racing to Vietnam, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc My – Chairman of Vabis – Hong Lam Group, said: "Since 2000, I have a license to work as a greyhound racecourse, horse racing in Xuan Thanh and have 2 licenses to operate prized electronic machines in 2 hotels in Hanoi. I find it very good to have these services to serve visitors. However, where to allocate, how is the regulation, how to check the control,… there are still some unclear conditions and support for investors".

According to Mr. My, such rewarded entertainment services still focus only on foreign visitors. This is quite risky, for example, during this time the Covid-19 epidemic caused international tourism activities to "freeze", so there could be no players.

Therefore, Mr. America believes that it is necessary to have clear regulations, so that people can enjoy foreign pleasures as well.

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc My, Vice Chairman of the Association of Foreign Investment Enterprises, said that "the role of the association is important". There should be workshops for investors, government agencies to dialogue, contribute policies to develop the rewarded entertainment industry, including casinos. At that time, the authorities will know how to do it. This is a business that is considered sensitive, so the State has not yet arranged to meet with investors.

The opening for casino service remains fairly cautious.

"I find it ok to pilot Vietnamese people into casinos. But ask the Vietnamese again if they are comfortable playing at the casino. If they are uncomfortable, instead of booking tickets to Phu Quoc, they fly to Singapore – where they are welcomed, offered, invited to grow. Meanwhile, if they enter a casino in Vietnam, they will have to sign all these papers to one document. So the small hit people come in, and the big players they go all over the country", said Mr. Nguyen Ngoc My.

He explained that he spoke up for the interests of the country, not for the rights of any individual or business. "It's up to the Government to decide how to do it," he said.

In order for a casino to come into operation, in addition to the certificate of eligibility for casino business, the enterprise must also be granted a certificate of eligibility for security and order by the Ministry of Public Security for conditional business as prescribed in Decree 96/2016; Vh-TT&dl licenses the import of game machines and tables as prescribed in Decree 187; The State Bank licenses foreign currency revenues and expenditures and foreign exchange activities for casino business activities.

Basically, the legal framework for casino business has been fully promulgated, ensuring the principle of casino business is conditional business activities, controlled by state management agencies from the stage of licensing business activities, importing machines, licensing security, order , foreign exchange licensing to the inspection and supervision process to ensure security, social order and safety.

The Ministry of Finance evaluated: In general, casino business has met the entertainment needs of foreigners coming to work, investment and tourism in Vietnam; supporting and creating more services at hotels, attracting expenditures of foreign visitors to work, invest and travel in Vietnam; contributing to the employment of some workers in localities.

However, for casino investors and players a whole, that's not enough.

Need to change your mindset about casinos

When the Covid-19 epidemic raging, tourism "freezes", Prof. Assoc. Prof. Nguyen Thuong, Chairman of The Association of Foreign Investment Enterprises, "donated": To tourism into a spearhead economic sector, it is impossible not to build an entertainment industry including entertainment areas, evening shopping, high-quality entertainment centers, greyhound racetracks, horse racing with bets, prized sports activities and casinos. Although many licensed foreign and domestic enterprises have come into operation, the results are too modest, causing a waste of investment capital and human resources because they do not exploit potential effectively.

This is partly because perceptions and views regarding this as a "sensitive" area related to gambling are inconsistent with the national customs and customs, and risk causing more social evils without a multi-dimensional approach.

"I think it is time to consider this as an area that, if managed by a strong enough organization, can more effectively exploit the enormous potential of this field, contributing to the implementation of the policy of economic recovery and development after the Covid-19 epidemic", Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thuy expressed his views.

It can be seen that the problems that make the casino located at the "sensitive" line, reserved to open this service lies in the perception and thinking of state agencies.

Therefore, when responding to the press, Dr. Pham Trung Luong, former Deputy Director of Vietnam Institute of Tourism Research and Development, affirmed that the casino needs a mechanism and policies throughout and consistently, including policies to encourage and support businesses. For example, it is clear that during the pilot period, the tax collection is moderate and reasonable so that businesses can survive. Secondly, creating ground clearance conditions for a relatively large land area, enough for businesses to develop a proper casino complex. Thirdly, review and reduce the required documents for visitors, make sure they can prove their regular income, do not "pour" all their fortune into the casino but should not ask for too many documents leading to trouble.