Vietnam's Minister of Public Security To Lam, Minister of Finance Ho Duc Phoc and Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung told the National Assembly on 11 August 2022 why Decree 06/2017/ND-CP on betting on horse racing, dog racing and international football has not been carried out1.
Decree 06 was issued on 24/1/2017, and the Ministry of Finance issued Circular 101 guiding its implementation on 4/10/20171. To Lam said the cause was that specialist agencies had not selected a managing body and no qualified enterprise had come forward to run the business1. Ho Duc Phoc said no project has been completed, and that once a horse or dog racing project is finished the Ministry of Finance will be the body that certifies eligibility to conduct betting1.
On horse racing, the Prime Minister approved a policy for a racecourse in Soc Son district, Hanoi, in 2020, but Ho Duc Phoc said implementation stalled over capital contribution and has not gone ahead1. Three provinces, Phu Yen, Lam Dong and Vinh Phuc, have proposed horse racing investment policies, but those projects are still at the research stage with no filings submitted1.
For international football betting, Decree 06 requires a tender to select a company to run the business, but the Law on Bidding contains no form of tender to select an enterprise, only project tenders and tender packages within a project1. The Ministry of Finance sought opinions from the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Ministry of Justice, and the Prime Minister assigned it to amend Decree 06; the ministry was revising it and submitted it to the government in May1.
"Quan điểm của chúng tôi là ủng hộ và đã có Nghị định thì phải thực hiện"
To Lam also said that in the first six months of 2022, authorities prosecuted nearly 600 defendants in cases of organizing gambling and gambling1. Nguyen Van Hung said his ministry is not the body that decides to organize these events under the rules, and that it handles technical appraisal such as racecourse standards and race formats1.
| Item | Status as stated on 11 August 2022 |
|---|---|
| Decree 06/2017/ND-CP | Issued 24/1/20171 |
| Circular 101 guidance | Issued 4/10/20171 |
| Soc Son racecourse, Hanoi | Policy approved 2020, stalled over capital contribution1 |
| Phu Yen, Lam Dong, Vinh Phuc racecourses | Proposed, at research stage, no filings1 |
| Football betting tender | Blocked by Law on Bidding1 |
| Completed betting projects | None1 |
What it means for players
Betting on horse racing, dog racing and international football under Decree 06 is not available in Vietnam because no operator has been licensed and no project has been completed1. The framework exists on paper, but there is no venue or operator through which a bet under it can be placed. Separately, To Lam said nearly 600 defendants were prosecuted in the first six months of 2022 in cases of organizing gambling and gambling, indicating enforcement against unlicensed betting continued over the same period1. For the general legal position in the country, see Can I Gamble in Vietnam? and Gambling Laws in Asia: What Is Legal in 12 Jurisdictions.
What happens next
The Ministry of Finance was revising Decree 06 and submitted it to the government in May 20221. No date has been reported for when the amended decree will be issued or when any betting project will be completed.
Sources1 sources
- Vì sao chưa thực hiện Nghị định về cá cược bóng đá, đua chó, đua ngựa?, xaydungchinhsach.chinhphu.vn
