Vietnam's Ministry of Finance has amended Decree 06/2017/ND-CP on betting on horse racing, dog racing and international football, and submitted the revised text to the Government in May 2022, Finance Minister Ho Duc Phoc said1. The amendment is meant to resolve a conflict between the decree and the Law on Bidding1.
Decree 06 was issued on 24/1/2017, and the Ministry of Finance issued Circular 101 guiding its implementation on 4/10/20171. Under the decree, international football betting requires a tender to select a company to run the business, but the Law on Bidding contains no form of tender for selecting a company, only project tenders and tenders for project packages1. The ministry sought opinions from the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Ministry of Justice, and the Prime Minister assigned it to revise the decree1.
On horse racing, the Prime Minister issued a decision approving in principle a racecourse in Soc Son district, Hanoi, in 2020, but implementation stalled over capital contribution and has not gone ahead1. No project has been completed, and the Ministry of Finance would be the body issuing certificates of eligibility for betting businesses once projects are finished1. Three localities, Phu Yen, Lam Dong and Vinh Phuc, have proposed horse racing investments, but these remain at the research stage with no filings submitted1.
Public Security Minister To Lam told the National Assembly that the decree had not been carried out because no lead agency had been chosen and no qualified company had come forward1. He said nearly 600 defendants were prosecuted in gambling and gambling-organizing cases in the first six months of 20221.
"Quan điểm của chúng tôi là ủng hộ và đã có Nghị định thì phải thực hiện"
Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Nguyen Van Hung said Decree 06 allowed a pilot of this content before the Law on Sports was issued, and that the Government assigned the Ministry of Finance as the lead drafting and coordinating body1. He said his ministry is not the body that decides to organize these events under the rules1.
What it means for players
Betting on horse racing, dog racing and international football under Decree 06 has not been operational in Vietnam. No racecourse or betting project has been completed, and no company has been selected to run international football betting1. The amended decree, if adopted, would address the tender conflict that has blocked football betting, but no date has been reported for the Government's decision or for any start of operations. Unlicensed online gambling remains a criminal matter: the Ministry of Public Security reported nearly 600 defendants prosecuted in the first half of 20221. For the current legal position across the region, see Gambling Laws in Asia: What Is Legal in 12 Jurisdictions and Can I Gamble in Vietnam?.
What happens next
The amended decree has been submitted to the Government, which has not been reported to have decided on it1. The Soc Son racecourse remains stalled over capital contribution, and the Phu Yen, Lam Dong and Vinh Phuc proposals remain under study with no filings1.
Sources1 sources
- Vì sao chưa thực hiện Nghị định về cá cược bóng đá, đua chó, đua ngựa?, xaydungchinhsach.chinhphu.vn
