Vietnam province asks Government to extend pilot scheme at Corona Resort

October 7, 2022 Vietnam Emerging Markets

The Kien Gang province of Vietnam has asked the country’s Ministry of Finance to extend the pilot scheme used at Corona Resort and Casino by three years.

Located on the island of Phu Quoc, Corona Resort and Casino allows certain locals to gamble in its casinos, despite Vietnam operating a foreign-player-only approach to casino entry.

Local players must meet certain economical qualifications in order to gamble at the casino, showing proof of funds among other financial requirements.

The pilot scheme is set to come to an end by the close of 2022 unless the provincial government of Kien Gang’s bid to have the pilot scheme extended is successful.

Should the local province be granted an extension to the pilot scheme, the Corona Resort and Casino will remain open to local gamers until 7 January 2022.

The local player scheme at Corona Resort and Casino has been in place since it opened in January 2019; its launch marked the start of the pilot scheme.

The resort has – according to Vietnam News Agency – created 1,122 local jobs and 32 roles for foreigners. The Corona Resort and Casino has supposedly attracted over 240,000 visitors, 156,000 of which were Vietnamese.

A reported VND1.7trn ($72.3m) has been generated in local tax income since the casino launched. It’s worth noting that this figure accounts for periods of closure brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, which affected casino visitation worldwide.