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Bank’s Anti-laundering Department to
oversee all accounts with signals on
betting payments.
However, policemen and the op-
erators said such actions could not
stop all violations, because criminals
could easily change their website do-
main names.
Tien added that though hundreds
of millions of dollars were bet, only
a very small sum was seized. “It is
because gamblers often have a good
command of high technology. They
can open thousands of different ac-
counts and use virtual money for bet-
ting. Moreover, the money will be
withdrawn immediately when it is
transferred, so police can’t seize big
amounts.”
Legalising
The Ministry of Finance is now com-
pleting a draft decree on betting busi-
ness for horse racing, dog racing and
international football, which has been a
hot topic during recent meetings of the
National Assembly Standing Committee.
Under the draft, the minimum bet
is VND10,000 ($0.47) and the maxi-
mum is VND1 million ($47.6) per day.
However, chairman of the National As-
sembly’s Justice Committee, Nguyen
Van Hien, said these figures are very
low and should be increased to VND5
million ($238) per day.
“VND5 million ($238) is big for the
poor, but low for the rich. If the maxi-
mum is fixed at that amount, they may
still illegally bet,” he said.
According to theMinistry of Finance,
the legitimacy of the betting business
is needed to meet the entertainment
needs of a segment of the population
and to attract tourists. He believes it will
help lessen illegal gambling and betting
activities, limiting the negative impacts
and providing more revenue to invest in
social welfare programs.
However the National Assembly
vice chairwoman, Nguyen Thi KimNgan,
said legalising betting would have nega-
tive impacts on the country’s culture
and society: “It should be carefully con-
sidered. It is necessary to clarify the
objective to create a legal playground
and restrict illegal activities rather than
to focus on revenue goals.”