Discussions over the issue of a decree on casino business activities heated up a recent session of Vietnam's National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee held in capital Hanoi in April.

At the session, most of NA Standing Committee members agreed with the proposal of allowing Vietnamese residents to play in casinos, following a strict management and monitoring as it has great influence on the country's socio-economy.

According to statistics by Vietnam's Ministry of Finance (MoF), there are now seven casino projects in Vietnam being licensed with six of them put into operation.

Five of the country's casinos are small-scale in Hai Phong, Lao Cai, Da Nang and Quang Ninh and two new large-scale casino projects in Quang Nam and Ba Ria-Vung Tau.

Total revenue of the five casinos reached 930 billion Vietnamese dong (44 million U.S. dollars) in 2012, contributing 254 billion Vietnamese dong to the state budget and creating jobs for around 200-500 people each, Vietnam's state-run radio Voice of Vietnam on Wednesday quoted the MoF as saying.

During a recent meeting held in northern Hai Phong city to review five years of implementation of the resolution adopted at the sixth plenum of the 10th Communist Party of Vietnam central committee, local authority launched a report saying that the business situation of the casino in the province is in difficulty. Hai Phong is the place where locating the first casino in Vietnam since 1992.

Do Son casino in Hai Phong has yielded profit since 1998 and remained that trend for ten years, up to 2007.

Since 2008, Do Son casino continuously reported losses. As of 2012, its accumulated losses had been up to 169 billion Vietnamese dong.

Do Son casino paid an average of 23.5 billion U.S. dollars in tax revenue annually.

Minister of Planning and Investment Bui Quang Vinh previously in March said there have been 10 provinces and cities across the country asking for licenses to open casinos.

The session of Vietnam's NA Standing Committee also saw discussion among participants whether to allow Vietnamese residents to play in casino.

According to statistics, there are an average 100-600 Vietnamese people crossing the border areas to play in casinos in neighboring countries with average spending of 50-100 U.S. dollars per person per day, reported local Doi Song va Phap Luat (Life and Law) online newspaper under the Vietnam Lawyers Association.

In 2009 alone, revenue from Vietnamese people accounted for some 15 percent of total revenue of one casino in Cambodia, cited the newspaper.

Doi Song va Phap Luat also quoted Ha Ton Vinh, an expert who consults for the Vietnamese government on casino law as saying that Vietnam is losing some 800 million U.S. dollars tax revenue per year due to Vietnamese residents' illegal gambling in Cambodia.

According to the draft decree on casino business, in order to be licensed, investors are required to commit a registered capital of at least 4 billion U.S. dollars and to have at least 10 years of experience in the field.

According to current law of Vietnam, only foreigners and overseas Vietnamese are allowed to play in casinos. Other individuals are banned from gambling in electronic gaming facilities in Vietnam in any form. Endi

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