Phu Quoc Casino on the resort island Phu Quoc, Kien Giang Province, has contributed VND1.7 trillion (US$70.8 million) to the provincial budget in the last three years and created more than 1,000 jobs.
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Corona Casino on Phu Quoc Island. — Photo from the company
On this basis, the Kien Giang People’s Committee has asked the Ministry of Finance to extend the pilot period which allows Vietnamese people to gamble in the casino until January 2025.
The casino, in which Phu Quoc Tourism Development and Investment Joint Stock Company invested more than VND50 trillion (over $2 billion), opened in January 2019.
According to the committee’s deputy chairman Nguyen Thanh Nhan, since coming into operation, the project has created a breakthrough for Phu Quoc Island to become a high-quality eco-tourism centre with regional and international stature.
The casino, which is considered a new tourism product, has also helped the island to attract more tourists to the island, Nhan said.
“Since its operation, the casino has had many positive impacts on the local socio-economic development by generating jobs for more than 1,000 local people and 32 foreign workers,” he said.
“More than 240,000 visitors to Phu Quoc Island play in the casino, over 150,000 of whom are Vietnamese,” he said.
“The casino paid the local budget about VND1.7 trillion ($70.8 million), of which the revenue from ticket sales for Vietnamese people was more than VND140 billion ($5.8 million),” he said.
In the first eight months this year, the casino paid the local budget VND240 billion ($9.9 million).
Over the last three years, the casino has complied with Decree No. 03/2017/ND dated November 16, 2017 of the Prime Minister, the deputy chairman said.
According to regulations, a Vietnamese person who wants to play at the casino must be 21 years old or older and have a clear judicial record and permanent income of over VND10 million ($416) per month.
The Government has traditionally banned Vietnamese citizens from entering casinos to gamble.
The trial period for Vietnamese gambling in the casino was slated for three years, Nhan said.
But the period was interrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This badly affected the casino’s activity. So, it needs more time to be fully evaluated, Nhan said.
Based on initial positive results, the Kien Giang People’s Committee requested the Ministry of Finance extend the pilot period to January 7 of 2025.