Vietnam casinos are not a threat to Cambodia

Vietnam’s new decree should not affect the latter’s gaming industry.

Cambodia.- Ros Phirun, deputy director-general of the Finance Ministry of Cambodia, said that Vietnam’s ruling to allow locals to gamble would not have a significant impact in his country’s gaming industry.

Even though they don’t expect an overall influence, they do believe that Cambodia’s border casinos could be affected. “Of course, we will definitely get some effect by the new move from the Vietnamese government. But, it doesn’t mean that it severely affects the whole industry here because they will only let local people gamble at two selected casinos which are really far from us. Our casinos are mainly at the Bavet border near Ho Chi Minh City where 90 percent of the Vietnamese are coming from,” he said to the Khmer Times.

“Also, I don’t see many Vietnamese from the north coming to gamble in Bavet. I don’t think their local people will spend many hours driving so far to a casino,” he added. Under the pilot scheme, Vietnamese players would be able to bet on two casinos located in Van Don Special Economic Zone, in the north of the country, and in Phu Quoc Island, in the south of Vietnam. The legislation will be effective for three months, starting in mid-March. Vietnamese players over 21 years old and with a monthly income of US$400 will be allowed to participate at both casinos activities.