Corona Casino & Resort says Vietnamese have spent US$5.9m since opening

The Corona Casino offers betting to locals who meet income conditions.

Vietnam.- Corona Casino, the first casino in Vietnam that allowed locals to gamble, has reported that Vietnamese citizens have spent VND141bn (US$5.9m) since its opening in 2019. According to Vnexpress, that accounted for 5 per cent of revenue, or more than VND2.7tn. 

The casino complex is part of an ecotourism and entertainment complex built by the Phu Quoc Tourism Investment and Development Joint Stock Company at a cost of VND50tn (US$2.16bn). It includes 1,000 slot machines, 100 table games and a 600-seat theatre. 

It has completed a three-year 24/7 beta period. Only Vietnamese citizens aged over 21 and with a minimum monthly income of at least VND10m (US$445) are allowed to gamble.

There are currently nine casinos in Vietnam, but Vietnamese citizens are only permitted to enter two. In June 2021, the ministry proposed an extension of the scheme that allows Vietnamese citizens to gamble at these select casinos until 2024.

In March last year, casino operators asked the government to expand Vietnamese citizens’ access to casinos in major tourist destinations such as Quang Nam and Ba Ria-Vung Tau to help casinos face the loss of revenue from tourists due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, authorities rejected the petition.