Vietnam Casinos Face Digital ID and Entry Penalties

Overview

Vietnam is tightening casino entry controls through 2 government decrees that combine digital identity checks with higher penalties for admitting ineligible customers or failing to maintain entry records. The changes affect licensed casinos and other prize-gaming businesses, with the first rules taking effect on 15 November 2026 and the penalty framework following on 5 December 2026.

Digital identity checks begin on 15 November

Decree 392/2026/ND-CP was issued on 20 October 2026 and takes effect on 15 November. It amends the responsibilities of prize-gaming businesses under Decree 96/2016, covering casinos, electronic gaming venues for foreigners and betting operators.

From the effective date, casinos may check a customer’s personal information through VNeID, Vietnam’s national digital identity application, or through other identity documents. The digital application is therefore an alternative verification channel, not a replacement for the casino’s record-keeping duty: operators must still enter the customer’s full details in a management register.

The amended requirements also state that venues must prevent people who are not legally permitted to play from entering. Casinos and relevant electronic gaming venues must display security, public-order, fire-prevention and social-vice prevention rules in Vietnamese and a foreign language at the entrance. They must immediately notify police if weapons, explosives, support weapons or flammable substances are found in the gaming area.

The decree further prohibits the employment of staff with criminal convictions for gambling, organising gambling, acting as a gambling venue or usury. Casinos and electronic gaming venues serving foreigners must also have at least 30% of their security guards supplied by licensed security-service companies.

Higher penalties take effect on 5 December

Decree 391/2026/ND-CP, which covers administrative penalties in betting and prize gaming, takes effect on 5 December 2026. Under Article 31, an organisation that allows people to enter a casino business point unlawfully, or fails to monitor all people entering and leaving, faces a fine of VND180 million to VND200 million.

The same breaches may also lead to a suspension of casino operations lasting 6 to 12 months for a first violation and 12 to 24 months for a second or subsequent violation. Separate failures involving the control register or electronic entry cards carry fines of VND130 million to VND150 million. The cited amounts apply to organisations; individuals face half the corresponding fine for the same conduct.

The measures make the entry register a central compliance control rather than a purely administrative record. Operators will need to connect identity verification, eligibility screening, entry monitoring and record retention closely enough to demonstrate that customers were checked and that the information was kept in the required form and period.

Local access raises the importance of screening

The timing is significant because most Vietnamese citizens remain barred from casinos, while a limited number of properties operate under local-access arrangements. Resolution 8/2025/NQ-CP allows eligible Vietnamese citizens to play at the Phu Quoc casino project and placed Ho Tram under a 5-year pilot from 26 November 2025. Van Don is to receive a 5-year pilot once it obtains its casino business certificate.

The Grand Ho Tram has described local access as part of a wider expansion of its addressable market, alongside planned transport improvements. Its casino floor and slot machines were converted from US dollars to Vietnamese dong for the pilot, while its VIP areas continued to use Hong Kong dollars and US dollars. These operational changes underline why accurate customer classification matters as properties serve both foreign and eligible Vietnamese players under different conditions.

A 2025 pilot does not remove the need to apply the new 2026 verification and penalty rules. Instead, the regulatory changes may make documented eligibility checks more consequential for venues operating within those pilot arrangements.

Implications for Malaysian readers and operators

For Malaysian visitors considering a Vietnamese casino resort, VNeID is not a Malaysian identity system and its availability does not create a general right to enter or play. Customers should expect the casino to verify identity and record personal information under Vietnamese requirements. Whether a visitor is allowed to play remains governed by Vietnamese law and the property’s licensed operating conditions.

For Malaysian gaming companies, suppliers and compliance teams involved in Vietnam-facing B2B services, the changes highlight the need to distinguish identity verification from eligibility approval. A digital-ID interface, customer database or electronic entry-card system may support operations, but the decrees still place responsibility on the casino business to monitor access and retain complete records. The rules do not indicate that any foreign casino or Malaysian operator has been approved to use VNeID.

Event timeline

• 20 October 2026: Vietnam issued Decree 392/2026/ND-CP amending security and public-order responsibilities for prize-gaming businesses.

• 15 November 2026: Decree 392/2026/ND-CP is scheduled to take effect, allowing customer checks through VNeID or identity documents while retaining the register requirement.

• 5 December 2026: Decree 391/2026/ND-CP is scheduled to take effect, introducing fines of up to VND200 million for serious entry-control failures and possible casino suspensions.