Vietnam could be Asia’s next gambling hot spot, with the country seemingly taking its inspiration from Singapore.
On Sunday, Vietnam’s Minister for Finance Vuong Dinh Hue led a delegation of officials on a fact-finding mission to Singapore, where it met with members of the city state’s gaming board.
Singapore has been heralded by many as the blueprint for the successful regulation of games of chance following the opening of its Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa integrated resorts. Several other states within the Asia Pacific region are said to be following its progress closely.
During the visit, Minister Hue revealed his admiration for the Singapore’s authorities’ efforts to regulate gambling and that his department would now be planning to submit plans to legalise sports betting in Vietnam.
Vietnam is expected to become one of the region’s strongest gaming markets following the completion of the multi-billion dollar Ho Tram Strip casino resort project in the coming years and the news that Sheldon Adelson’s Las Vegas Sands is seeking to develop its own properties there.
Only foreign nationals are presently premitted to gamble in its existing casinos.
