Corona Resort & Casino on Phu Quoc Island (pictured), Vietnam's first and only tourist complex to ever be allowed to serve economically qualified locals, saw gaming sales rise 45.7% year-on-year to nearly 2.2 trillion dong ($89 million) in 2023, contributing 1.23 trillion dong to the national government budget.
The finance ministry's latest report to parliament and parliament's Q&A were cited, according to the state-run Vietnam News Agency. Local contributions to the 2023 profits of Phu Quoc properties were minimal, the report said.
The agency account said the "ticket revenue" of Vietnamese attending Covid resorts & casinos exceeded VND 32 billion in 2023 and reached VND 242 billion from 2019 to 2023.
The report also said that from 2019 to the end of 2023, when Covid resorts & casinos were first allowed to host local athletes in a pilot operation, Vietnamese visitors accounted for "62 per cent of all athletes" with 295,943, while foreign visitors accounted for "38 per cent of all athletes" with 179,507.
The report added that in 2020 and 2021, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic led to a higher proportion of visitors to Vietnam, which reduced foreign tourism to the country.
The proportion of Vietnamese players in 2023 is said to be '39% of all spectators'.
In October 2022, the government of Kienkang Province, which has jurisdiction over Phu Quoc, reportedly asked the finance ministry to extend the rights to serve locals at Corona Resort & Casino by three years until January 7, 2025, under a pilot plan.
Monday's article said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported to the Vietnamese Politburo in August 2023 on the results of the testing plan. The report added that the ministry was "a process of asking for instructions from the Politburo" on the subject.
Separately, local news outlet VietNamNet Global on Sunday indirectly cited Vietnam's Finance Minister Ho Duc Phoc for possible directions of the pilot scheme.
The outlet said the ministry "has no plans to allow Vietnamese to go to casinos in large numbers, and other casinos will not be granted permission to accommodate Vietnamese immediately."
BY: 카지노