Vietnam issues Decree No. 147/2024/ND-CP on online games

Vietnam's government issued Decree No. 147/2024/ND-CP in November 2024, effective 25 December 2024, which reworks how online games are managed and explicitly disallows licensing of any online casino or poker in Vietnam¹. The decree also strengthens identity verification and other controls for online game services¹.

The measure leaves online poker without a licensing route in the country. Vietnam does not issue any licenses to online poker operators, and it still remains a gray zone². Online poker in Vietnam is restricted but not downright illegal, and it is accessible in practice, but exposed to minimal risk in the form of possible domain blocks or payment disruptions¹. Users say there are no ISPs blocking online poker in Vietnam¹.

Enforcement, as described, focuses on providers rather than players. Organizing or running illegal gambling can attract heavy administrative fines, but enforcement focuses on providers, not on Vietnamese poker players¹. The Ministry of Information and Communications publishes lists of illegal websites and the authorities routinely blacklist domains, block access and target payment rails¹. Vietnamese banks and PSPs may block or flag gambling-related transactions².

Land-based casinos sit under a separate rule. Land casinos are governed by Decree No. 03/2017/ND-CP which allows casinos only under strict conditions (large minimum investment, integrated resorts)¹.

What it means for players

The decree does not create a licensed online poker market in Vietnam, so any site a player in the country uses sits outside a domestic licensing framework¹. The practical exposure described is at the level of access and money movement: domain blocks and payment disruptions are named as the main risks, while users report no ISP-level blocking of online poker¹. Identity verification is a stated focus of the decree, and one operator referenced describes a KYC process for Vietnamese players¹.

For locals, expats and visitors, the distinction drawn is between operating an unlicensed gambling service and playing on one. Fines and enforcement are described as aimed at providers, not at Vietnamese poker players¹. Land-based casino access is a separate question governed by Decree No. 03/2017/ND-CP, which permits casinos only under strict conditions such as large minimum investment and integrated resorts¹. Details of how the new controls apply to individual players, and any penalties attached, have not been reported in these sources.

What happens next

The decree took effect on 25 December 2024¹. No further dated steps are given in the sources.