Vietnam’s relationship with gambling is complicated; it’s a careful balance between opening up the economy and keeping the peace.1 Even though some traditional forms of sports betting have become a little more regulated, the legal position of betting on the growing world of esports is still very unclear for both people and corporations.
General Rules for Gambling
Strict Prohibition and Exceptions
Most types of gambling are illegal in Vietnam, both in person and online.There are two exceptions: state-run lotteries and a very tightly controlled pilot program for betting on international football, greyhound racing, and horse racing. This program has very strict daily betting limitations. However, esports are not allowed in any of these regulated sports betting platforms, which means that this new way of betting is completely illegal.
Enforcement and Online Activity
Even though internet gambling is illegal in Vietnam, it is virtually outlawed for locals. This has led to a booming black market where Vietnamese gamblers often use unregulated offshore sites.3 The government’s ongoing attempts to prohibit these international platforms show how hard it is to implement the ban when the internet is so easy to get to. Esports betting is mostly banned online, meaning that both operators and players in Vietnam is facing a real legal dangers when they take part.
Final Notes
Laws on betting esports in Vietnam are very severe, with the country’s conservative views on gambling. Esports betting have no particular laws that allow or control it hence being in a legal grey. It is not clearly legal or safe to bet on through approved channels in the US. As long as the government doesn’t include esports in its supervised betting pilots, the activity will stay an offshore business that is open to the risks of the illegal market.