Vietnam and gambling have been known to be having opposing cultures for ages now. Most of the online gaming websites and betting activities are illegal in the country. Despite many online sites operating in Vietnam, none of them is licensed or safe to play in except for THA (THABET CASINO). THABET 516 is an online legal website that allow Vietnamese to play sport betting. For ages, the government has continued to ban illicit websites even though it faces many challenges while implementing the crackdown.
Illegal online gaming websites include:
- Horse betting sites with bookmakers
- Sports betting sites with bookmakers
- Sports parlay cards and numbers sites
- Illegal casinos
The Pros and Cons of Gambling In Vietnam
The government considers gambling addiction or social media illness that lead to negative consequences such as immorality, social order, and insecurity. It also considers gambling as a social evil alongside prostitution and drugs. Many citizens think that the government should loosen the belt and manage it better to gain taxes and enhance tourism. Nonetheless, the following are the pros of gambling:
· Some types of sports betting are legal
· Payments regarding gambling are easy
· You can still use safe ways to gamble
Cons
· There are almost no local operators
· Online gambling and game websites are illegal.
Why Did Vietnam Illegalize Online Gaming Websites?
You may wonder how, when, and why the country made it illegal for all online gaming websites. To grasp the idea behind the illegalization of gambling, it is essential to understand a bit of history regarding this resistance.
After the country’s unification following the end of the Vietnam War, gambling had its legal status. However, communists began advocating for its ban, citing that gambling was a capitalistic activity with more harm than good for society.
The war, however, had its ups and downs due to the prevalence of gambling in the country. With the heightened gambling of illegal money, the government began seeing the harm for society and began licensing online gaming sites like casinos that were prestigiously governed. Another second move by the government was to restrict online gaming to foreigners or anyone that held a passport other than Vietnam’s. To date, there are only eight gambling casinos that operate in the country, and each prohibits all locals from accessing.
However, the policies have not barred the locals from gambling. Many gamblers travel to neighboring countries such as South Korea and Cambodia to place their bets. Equally, other locals are involved in the country’s gambling activities irrespective of the government’s prohibition and have been prevalent across the country.
What Is the Overview of Online Gambling In Vietnam?
Even though the government is doing all it can to block online gaming websites in Vietnam and making it hard for online operators to do their business by imposing strict policies, casino sites continue to accept local citizens. Some of the most trustworthy websites include:
- Topgame
- NetEnt
- Microgaming
- Betsoft
- Playtech.
The above sites accept and support local currency and even offer customer services in English and Vietnamese.
Gamblers can still play online games through licenses provided by other jurisdictions. This is the only legal waiver that Vietnamese enjoy regarding online gaming. How do you find out that the online gaming website isn’t illegal? These are some of the tips!
- If you visit an online gaming website, scroll to the end of the homepage and get the page dedicated to legal and licensing.
- Find out whether the sites have customer care services. Usually, if the site is illegal, customer care services are lacking. If it is legal, there is a provision for 24/7 customer services with the options of direct calling, texting, emailing, chatting, and video calling.
Due to the prohibition of online gaming websites, the online space is indeed doing badly when you compare it with our neighbors, who allow the operation of most online gaming sites. While the government is firm in its decision, there are some ways to help expand the online industry, such as:
- Allow Vietnamese who qualify for the minimum income standards in part or all of the gaming sites in the country to avoid local gamblers from going to other jurisdictions to spend their money.
- The government can perform scrutiny to verify online gaming websites with value and continue blocking those without allowing gamblers to be involved in gambling activities.
- Sports betting isn’t that bad to allow. The bill regarding sports betting has been in the parliament for more than two decades, proving that the government isn’t ready to loosen the stand on gambling.
While the above moves could positively influence the legalization of online gaming websites in the country, Vietnamese legalization of online gaming sites has a long way to go, given the government’s reluctance regarding gambling. However, most citizens hope that if liberalization continues, anything positive could happen soon.
Risks for Involvement in Illegal Gambling in Vietnam
The Criminal Code states clearly that:
-Gambling operators shall be fined up to a maximum of VDN 100 million, or there shall be confiscation of all their assets, or both fines will be upheld.
-Gamblers or offenders caught using the internet to play illegal online games, illegally gaining VDN 50 million or more from the online gaming websites shall serve a sentence of up to 3 years.
Safety Tips That Vietnamese Use While Gambling
Even though the government is doing everything to stop gambling in Vietnam, it all seems to be hitting hard rocks. Gamblers use the joys of the internet to alter the government’s path on gambling. The constant tug of war between monitoring and placing bets seems exhausting, which is why intelligent gamblers have found ways to hide behind the curtains of law. This is how they evade the law:
- Installation of VPNs. a Virtual Private Network is among the safest privacy method used in public space. Often VPNs are considered distance learning tools but for gamblers, installing VPNs in their system is the best way to hide their identity while gambling on online gaming websites. Most Vietnamese continue to gamble from their comfort zones without being hacked by government agencies. VPNs access all the blocked gaming websites. Additionally, VPNs allow individuals to play on sites blocked in their country; hence most locals no longer visit neighboring countries to gamble.
- Enabling of the 2F Authentication. Aside from VPNs, gamblers chose to use 2FA for their online gaming and casino gambling. This system improves, protects, and hides identity while online. Even website owners use this verified authentication method and strong passwords to protect their identities.
Conclusion
Gambling and online gaming websites are illegal in Vietnam. The country views gambling the same way it views drugs and other immoral behaviors. Online gambling is still tight, and no one knows when the government will loosen its measures. Nonetheless, regardless of these strict measures to illegalize gambling, Vietnamese still play online using several security measures to hide their identities and access all the blocked online gaming websites. Despite being illegal, this activity has not lost its popularity across the country. Only foreigners are allowed to place bets in Vietnam’s casinos, thus making locals improvise their gambling ways without being noticed. Effective campaigns have been initiated to allow gambling, but the government is still reluctant about it. Ironically, even with all the onerous rules, gamblers have refused to down their tools.
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