程阳：越南政府酝酿博彩业合法化

Government considers legalising gambling

By Hong Ky | dtinews.vn | March 07, 2012 07:41 PM   Tweet

 >>  Economist warns about Casino boom in Vietnam

 >>  Quang Ninh calls for investments in 18 projects

The Vietnamese Government is considering a mechanism to facilitate casino development and gambling.

At the press conference on March 6, Head of the Government Office Vu Duc Dam revealed that the Government was gathering opinions to create a framework for the operation of casinos which will be open for both foreigners and locals.

Dam said, “We allowed Phu Quoc to open a casino three years ago. And now, after another proposal to open a casino in Quang Ninh, we recognised that casinos have the potential to be a major business. That’s why the issue requires a detailed discussion to ensure that there is sufficiently well thought out management. Social order and security also need to be maintained”

A request from Quang Ninh People’s Committee to license a resort complex and casino triggered public discussion. The Ministry of Planning and Investment has already drawn up a document analysing the pros and cons of allowing casinos to operate in Vietnam.

Despite the presence of numerous casinos in the country Vietnamese citizens are currently banned from gambling in casinos.

Dam said Vietnam is continuing to study other countries which have legal gambling.

Economist warns about Casino boom in Vietnam

By Hong Ky | dtinews.vn | March 02, 2012 08:50 PM  

 >>  Foreign investors eye casino project on Phu Quoc Island

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 >>  Las Vegas Sands wants to build casino in Vietnam

An academic has issued a warning after the recent announcement by Las Vegas Sands that it plans to build casinos in Vietnam.

Marina Bay Sands in Singapore brings huge profits to Las Vegas Sands

Dr. Vu Dinh Anh warned about casino boom in the country like golf courses and universities.

Sheldon Adelson, Chairman of Las Vegas Sands, said the group would invest billions of USD in building resort-entertainment complexes in Hanoi and HCM City.

However, the chairman said, “We’ll not set up a casino in a place where local people can’t have access to that facility”. According to him, the complexes will contain a 1,800 room hotel, with additional areas for museums, conference halls and an entertainment centre. The casinos would account for only 2%-4% of the projects’ area.

Each complex is expected to create jobs for between 12,000 and 14,000 local people.

Economist Vu Dinh Anh said Vietnam should foster casino development and consider it as just another form of entertainment industry. “It would be a good idea to build a casino as part of a comprehensive resort-entertainment complex,” Anh shared.

Currently, many Vietnamese well-to-do people travel to Hong Kong, Macau, Cambodia, and Singapore to splurge their money on gambling at luxury casinos.

“Our country should develop casinos in order to attract more tourists and multiply state budget if we can properly manage them,” he emphasised.

In order to ensure safety at these institutions, Vietnam should follow the US management models.

He, however, warned that due attention should be paid to the projects in a bid to prevent the uncontrollable development that has plagued golf courses and universities.

Even though the investor said casinos would occupy just 2%-4% of the complex areas, they would likely change their plans to expand the facilities, challenging Vietnamese authorities.

Until now, despite the Government turning down over 70 golf course projects nationwide, the country still has 90 golf courses, two third of which are really being used as a tool to trade in real estate based on agricultural land.

The same situation has happened with colleges and universities. Due to lax management, the number of universities and colleges has mounted to around 450 in Vietnam.

The consequence is that many of these schools have failed to enroll students or accept those who the necessary examination marks of six or seven for three subjects.

In order to deal with the problems, the Ministry of Education and Training has requested a moratorium on new universities and colleges in order to scrutinise the quality of education offered at current institutions.