Vietnam's Ministry of Finance is drafting a decree to amend Decree 98/2013/ND-CP, the 2013 government rule on administrative penalties in the insurance and lottery business sectors, and to rename it for the lottery sector only. The draft is open for public comment on the ministry's portal, according to an official report published on 20 April 20261.
The ministry said Decree 174/2024/ND-CP, issued on 30/12/2024, set penalties for the insurance business sector and repealed all of Decree 98/2013/ND-CP's insurance penalty content, from Article 1 to Article 33. As a result, the remaining provisions of Decree 98/2013/ND-CP now apply only to the lottery business sector. The ministry proposes renaming the decree "Decree stipulating administrative penalties in the lottery business sector" and adjusting its scope of regulation accordingly1.
The draft also removes penalty authority from three finance inspector titles listed in Article 52, clauses 1, 2 and 3 of Decree 98/2013/ND-CP: finance inspector, chief inspector of the Department of Finance, and chief inspector of the Ministry of Finance. The ministry said the finance sector's management apparatus no longer has finance inspector titles at those levels under the Law on Inspection1.
In their place, the draft adds authority for the head of an inspection team established by the Minister of Finance and for the Chief of Office of the Ministry of Finance, and sets out powers for provincial and police officials. The proposed ceilings are:
| Official | Maximum fine | Additional powers |
|---|---|---|
| Head of inspection team established by the Minister of Finance | 100 million dong | Confiscation of exhibits and means; remedial measures |
| Chief of Office, Ministry of Finance | 100 million dong | Confiscation; suspension of lottery business eligibility certificate; remedial measures |
| Chairman of provincial People's Committee | 100 million dong | Confiscation; suspension of lottery business in the province for a set period; remedial measures |
| Director of Department of Finance | 80 million dong | Confiscation; remedial measures |
| Director of provincial Police | 100 million dong | Confiscation; remedial measures |
| Heads of professional divisions under economic security, administrative police and cyber security units; provincial police division heads | 80 million dong | Confiscation; remedial measures |
| Heads of the economic security, administrative police and cyber security departments | 100 million dong | Confiscation; remedial measures |
| Head of commune police | 50 million dong | Confiscation; remedial measures |
| People's Public Security officer on duty | Warning only | None listed |
All figures and powers are as stated in the draft1.
"Bộ Tài chính đang dự thảo Nghị định sửa đổi, bổ sung một số điều của Nghị định số 98/2013/NĐ-CP"
What it means for players
The draft concerns penalties on lottery businesses, not on people who buy tickets. It does not change ticket prices, prize structures or where lottery products may be sold, and no change to player-facing rules is described in the report1. What it would change is who can act against operators: provincial people's committee chairmen, finance department directors and a range of police officials would gain explicit penalty powers, including suspending lottery business in a province for a set period. For players in Vietnam, that points to enforcement against sellers and operators rather than against buyers. The draft is not law; the current rules under Decree 98/2013/ND-CP remain in force until any amendment is issued. Background on the legal position is in Can I Gamble in Vietnam? and Gambling Laws in Asia: What Is Legal in 12 Jurisdictions.
What happens next
The draft is out for comment on the Ministry of Finance portal1. No date has been reported for the close of the comment period, for submission to the government, or for the decree's entry into force.
