Betting on international football matches will surely be legalized in Vietnam, according to a lawmaker of the National Assembly (NA).
Tran Quang Chieu, standing member of the Committee for Finance and Budget of the law-making body, told
Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on the sidelines of an NA meeting yesterday that the legalization of such betting should be done as soon as possible.
The NA has urged the central government to compile regulations on the legalization, but the Ministry of Finance suggested delaying it for a time for further studies of the experiences of other countries, Chieu added.
After regulations on the betting of horse racing and dog racing have been passed, the finance ministry said it will put forward a deadline for the preparation of rules on international football betting so that the NA can set a time frame for legalizing it.
International football betting has become a major issue since it is increasingly popular in the country.
Vietnamese people are believed to have spent tens of thousands of billions of dong (VND1 trillion = US$48.1 million) on matches of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in June and July with bookmakers abroad.
The legalization of international football betting in Vietnam is no longer a matter of yes or no, but a matter of when, Chieu noted.
It has been delayed for years because Vietnamese authorities want to have tight control on betting activities, especially online football wagering with international bookmakers, he added.
However, Vietnam can do this technically to integrate with the world, he said.
As for allowing Vietnamese people to enter casinos in Vietnam, Chieu said these regulations have already been compiled.
Only people over 21 years of age with strong financial competence will be permitted to gamble in domestic casinos.
Chieu suggested that ‘strong financial competence’ can be defined as people who hold APEC entrepreneurial cards issued by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, which is a forum for 21 Pacific Rim economies that seeks to promote free trade and economic cooperation throughout the region.
Businesspeople who have this card should be deemed financially qualified to enter Vietnam-based casinos, he added.
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Đăng ký: VietNam News