Vietnam’s casinos will be able to check customers’ identities through the national VNeID app from 15 November, and from early December operators that let ineligible players onto the floor face fines of up to VND200 million and suspensions of up to two years.
The two changes come from a pair of government decrees on security, public order and gaming. Together they tighten how the country’s handful of licensed casinos screen, record and police the people who walk through their doors, at a time when locals can legally play at only a small number of resorts.
Digital ID joins paper documents
Decree 392/2026/ND-CP, issued on 20 October, amends the rules on conditional business lines in the security and public order sector. According to the legal database LuatVietnam, Article 13 rewrites the duties of prize gaming businesses under Decree 96/2016, covering casinos, electronic gaming venues for foreigners and betting operators. They must now check a customer’s personal information on VNeID or on identity papers and enter the full details in a management register.
VNeID, the national digital identity app, therefore becomes an accepted alternative to physical documents rather than a replacement for record keeping. The decree takes effect on 15 November 2026.
The amended article also restates several operating duties. Venues must keep out anyone not permitted to play, post house rules in Vietnamese and a foreign language at the entrance, alert police immediately if someone brings weapons, explosives or flammable materials into the gaming area, and avoid hiring staff with criminal records for gambling, organising gambling or loan sharking. Casinos and electronic gaming venues serving foreigners must source at least 30% of their security guards from licensed security service companies.
Heavier penalties for entry failures
A separate measure, Decree 391/2026/ND-CP on administrative penalties in the betting and prize gaming sector, applies from 5 December. Under Article 31, casino businesses face fines of VND180 million to VND200 million for admitting people to the gaming area in breach of the law or for failing to monitor everyone entering and leaving.
Those breaches can also lead to casino operations being suspended for six to 12 months on a first offence and 12 to 24 months for repeat violations. Failing to open a register or issue electronic entry cards, keeping incomplete records of eligible players, or not storing those records for the minimum period carries a fine of VND130 million to VND150 million. The amounts apply to organisations, with individuals fined half as much for the same conduct.
Why entry controls matter
Most Vietnamese citizens remain barred from casinos. Under Resolution 8/2025/NQ-CP, issued in November 2025, eligible locals may play at the Phu Quoc casino project from 26 November 2025, while Ho Tram has a five-year pilot from the same date and Van Don will get a five-year pilot once it receives its casino business certificate.
For those properties, accurate checks on who is and is not allowed to gamble sit at the heart of the licence. agbrief has reported that The Grand Ho Tram is betting on infrastructure and local gaming access, while the owner of Corona Resort & Casino Phu Quoc narrowed its first-half loss to $8.1 million this year.
