Vietnam’s finance ministry has agreed to speak to Vietnam’s political leadership, the Politburo, on a proposal to extend a pilot program for local gamblers at Covid resorts and casinos through the end of 2024, according to a Sunday report by local news outlet VietnamNet.
A local government representing the southern Vietnamese resort of Phu Quoc, where Covid resorts and casinos (pictured) are located, has asked for an extension until Jan. 7, 2025, the state news agency said earlier this month.
VietnamNet cited the previously mentioned reasons for its request for an extension in its update, as pandemic-related domestic and international tourism disruptions have made it difficult to judge the merits of the pilot program so far.
The scheme was suspended by the national government in 2017 but only became active in 2019. Corona Resort and Casino opened in January 2019. It marked the start of the pilot scheme.
According to VietNamnet, the extension of the pilot could also be applied to projects in Bandon in China’s northeastern province of Quang Ninh towards the border with China. However, the same news outlet indicated that the latter plan was not yet operational.
“According to the Guangin People’s Commission, the project received approval from the Politburo in 2013, but has still not received an agreement on investment due to several issues,” VietNamnet reported. The main sponsor of the Bandon scheme is reported to be the Sun Group.
The plan reported total initial investment capital of nearly 47.482 trillion VND (less than $2 billion at current exchange rates) and nearly 2,536 hectares (6,266 acres).
A report on Sunday said only projects certified as having more than $2 billion in investment capital can acquire gaming licenses under the guidelines.
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