Is online football betting safe? Will you get caught?

If previously betting on football at football betting sites was an illegal act, what changes have the new regulations brought about? Is online football betting safe and what are the penalties? When will Vietnam allow betting? Let’s clarify these concerns with Vaobo88.

Forms of Football Betting

If in the past we could only bet on football at underground venues with a single person acting as the bookmaker, the 4.0 era has brought a more convenient option – online betting.

When comparing these two ways of playing, we can see significant differences such as:

• Playing offline carries more risks, can be caught, winnings may not be paid, and it takes a lot of time to reach the playing points…
• Online betting allows for flexibility in time and location, easy to switch bookmakers, large rewards, many promotions, quick and safe payouts.
• Payment methods for online betting are diverse, football betting with scratch cards, e-wallets, banks, etc.

Therefore, online betting forms have become increasingly popular and are the top choice for players today.

Is online football betting safe according to the law in Vietnam?

Currently, in Vietnam, online betting including lottery, cockfighting, football, card games, and fish shooting… for money or material goods is illegal. All these acts are not recognized by law and, similar to traditional gambling, will be penalized if caught red-handed.

Engaging in or organizing online gambling will also face penalties as prescribed by law. In particular, using mobile networks for gambling, which is a form of high-tech gambling, will be strictly punished from administrative fines to imprisonment.

Punishment for online football betting according to the law

If you are being arrested and are about to be tried for offenses related to football betting, you will be prosecuted under the Penal Code 2015 and the amendments in 2017 regarding gambling offenses.

Is online betting illegal? Administrative penalties

According to regulations, some offenses will be subject to administrative penalties and confiscation of related materials in football betting that you need to know:

• Fines from 1 million to 2 million VND for acts of football betting, selling publications related to betting with a total value of under 2 million VND.
• Subject to administrative penalties in the field of social safety and security order.
• Fines from 20 million to 100 million for betting forms valued from 5 million to 50 million.
• Fines from 20 to 100 million if the total betting amount is under 5 million but has previously been administratively fined for similar offenses, has been convicted, and has not had the conviction expunged.
• Fines from 10 to 50 million if there are multiple re-offenses, using computers, mobile devices… to play and the total value exceeds 50 million VND.

Is football betting illegal? According to criminal law

Those who engage in football betting face not only administrative penalties but also prison sentences for their offenses, specifically:

• Suspended sentence for 3 years or imprisonment from 6 to 36 months if the betting amount is from 5 to 50 million or under 5 million but committing the crime multiple times, not having their criminal record expunged.
• Imprisonment from 3 to 7 years if betting over 50 million VND, using high technology for betting, repeatedly committing the offense, or committing a professional crime.

So how are football betting organizations penalized? According to regulations, individuals and organizations involved in gambling and football betting will be penalized as follows:

• Imprisonment from 1 to 5 years if organizing betting for more than 10 people at the same time, with a betting value over 5 million VND.
• Imprisonment from 1 to 5 years if organizing 2 groups of betting at the same time with a total betting amount of 5 million VND or more.
• Imprisonment from 3 to 7 years if organizing gambling worth over 50 million VND.

In addition, the items used for football betting will be confiscated, and players or betting organizations will have to pay administrative fines or face imprisonment depending on each case. Particularly, depending on the nature and severity of the crime, these penalties may be increased or reduced. The question of whether to play online casino has also been widely debated recently. According to statistics from the Ministry of High-Tech Crime Prevention, the daily amount of money transacted for online gambling reaches tens of millions of USD.

Is online football betting legal in Vietnam?

Since the 1990s, decrees on piloting football betting (foreign) business in Vietnam have been initiated. After many years of amendments and public consultations, it has still not been approved. The reasons are:

• The initial proposed tournaments were the World Cup, U17 World Cup, U20 World Cup, and friendly tournaments that do not occur regularly.
• The charter capital for football betting business is too high, reaching 1 trillion VND.
• The pilot period is 5 years.
• The ability to recover capital is low, so these bills are not promising.

To address this, Decree 06 has been proposed with reforms such as:

• Expanding the matches that occur more frequently, such as: Serie A, World Cup, Premier League, Asian Cup, La Liga, Bundesliga, French national championship, European Championship, Asian Cup qualifiers, U23 Asian Championship, Champions League…
• In the first year, it will pilot allowing 1 enterprise to conduct business through terminal devices. Tickets will be sold in 20 localities such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong, Binh Duong, Da Nang, Quang Ninh, Can Tho…
• From the second year, consideration will be given to expanding the provinces and cities participating in this pilot.
• The betting amounts will be adjusted according to each phase, with a minimum of 10 thousand VND and a maximum expected to be 1 million VND per betting product per day.
• Players must be at least 21 years old.
• The method of participation is to buy tickets through mobile devices or terminal devices as regulated.
• Payment can be made through phone cards, e-wallets, bank accounts, or cash.
• The betting time is expected to be throughout the official playing time of the match.

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All these changes are considered more suitable for the current situation. However, this Decree 06 has not yet been approved and requires many amendments before being implemented. Although it has not yet come into effect, this Decree 06 is also a positive signal for players as they no longer need to secretly engage in illegal betting and face many risks and dangers. Additionally, the management of football betting activities by the State will contribute to increasing the budget for construction and social welfare. Especially in the management of the odds offered by bookmakers to ensure fairness, truly making it a recreational playground that benefits society. It is hoped that this activity will soon be approved and bring many conveniences to the people, similar to the pilot casino for Vietnamese that has been achieved.

How to legally bet on football?

To ensure that you can still enjoy betting while in Vietnam, you only have two options.

1. Go to a Casino that allows legal betting

Among the 7 largest casinos in Vietnam, currently only Casino Corona Phu Quoc allows Vietnamese people to play. However, you will have to pay an entrance fee (1.5 million), which is only convenient for combining travel and you also have to prove your income, which is complicated. Moreover, they only provide casino games and do not have football betting options, so they cannot meet the needs of gamblers. Recommended reading:

2. Legal football betting online at VIP bookmakers

This is the option that most gamblers will choose. As long as you have a mobile device that can connect to the internet, you can freely choose from dozens of reputable betting sites. My advice is to prioritize betting at reputable bookmakers that Vaobo88 has reviewed and analyzed. The reasons are as follows:

• All are well-known bookmakers with internationally recognized betting licenses
• Have an anonymous system that absolutely protects players’ information
• No fear of revealing identity or betting history, so you will never be legally implicated
• Comfortable betting amounts, no need to worry
• Diverse payment systems, anyone can deposit and withdraw

For those who are still unfamiliar, please refer to the article on How to create an online football betting account. It only takes 5 minutes for anyone to get excited with every moment of the ball rolling on the field.

Conclusion

Above are the most detailed information about the legal regulations related to football betting. It is hoped that through this article, you have answered the question is online football betting safe and the penalties for this offense. It is hoped that in the near future, betting activities will be licensed to avoid the outflow of foreign currency and provide players with safer options.
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