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Gaming venues slated for more surprise inspections in southern Vietnam province

Khanh Hoa Province in south-central Vietnam has called for intensified inspections of venues offering electronic games with prizes for foreigners (as opposed to for money which would be considered gambling and illegal) in the province with a focus on surprise inspections to ensure they are not actually fronts for illegal gambling, according to Tuoi Tre.

Of note, gambling in Vietnam is illegal but that doesn’t stop a sizable amount of betting occurring. This tends to peak around major sporting events. In particular, the World Cup sees a huge number of underground gambling establishments pop up in soccer-mad Vietnam. Recognising that this might be a problem, or perhaps that Vietnam is missing out on millions of dollars worth of tax revenue, there have been recent moves to try to legalise the practice. 

Foreigners, for example, are permitted to gamble at a handful of casinos scattered around the country. These venues, however, do not permit Vietnamese citizens to enter and a foreign passport needs to be shown at the door.

See also: Gambling in Vietnam

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