He wins $55 million in a Vietnamese casino

He wins $55 million in a Vietnamese casino

A court in Ho Chi Minh City is forcing a casino to pay $55 million to a wronged American gambler. This first ruling confirms the interest of communist Vietnam in the lucrative world of gambling.

Ly Sam hit the jackpot for a second time on Monday, January 7, when the court in Ho Chi Minh City, the former Saigon, confirmed his win of $55,542,291.70 (42 million euros), the amount that had been displayed on machine No. 13 of the Sheraton Hotel casino on which he had played on October 25, 2019. For more than three years, this sixty-year-old American of Vietnamese origin has been fighting to recover this money. As the 10Cric casino review shows, the casino previously hit the maximum jackpot of $42 million.

Ly Sam explained to the court that the casino manager first refused to validate his jackpot, that the Dai Duong company, in charge of the casino, then claimed a defect in the No. 13 machine, and, finally, that gambling winnings were capped at 46,000 dollars in Vietnam. Ly Sam presented the testimonies of his neighbors, a photograph of the amount of money displayed on the No. 13 machine which, he argued, worked perfectly when he cashed in his bets. After persevering and spending more than $52,000 in legal fees, he won his case. But the Dai Duong company has appealed.

Access reserved to foreigners

This first decision of a Vietnamese court in a gambling case underlines the interest that the communist regime is now taking in the world of casinos, which is expanding rapidly in Asia. Vietnam has only 4 casinos. Their access is reserved for foreigners. Asia has 186 casinos. The majority are located in Japan. Cambodia, Vietnam's neighbor, has 14 casinos. Macau, the former Portuguese colony in southern China, which was returned to Beijing in 1999, is the world's leading gambling destination, with its casinos generating a turnover four to five times higher than that of Las Vegas, thanks to the influx of Chinese gamblers.

Having just recorded 5.03% growth in 2020, the lowest in 13 years, Vietnam, which is attracting more and more tourists, is enviously eyeing the money flowing into one-armed bandits and green carpets. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has instructed the Ministry of Finance to consider changes in Vietnam's gambling legislation.

Regularizing and organizing this sector of activity would allow the Vietnamese State to recover the large sums of money that are flowing into illegal gambling. This is the main argument put forward by foreign companies and professionals in this sector.

"The general trend is to develop casinos near hotels and resorts to attract tourists," said Nguyen Chi Dung to the https://indiasneed.com/review/casumo-review-casino/, former vice-minister of Planning and Investment and current chairman of the People's Committee of Ninh Thuan province (Center). According to him, Vietnam's four casinos have generated many jobs and contributed about 75 million euros in revenue.