General Pham Xuan Quac, chief of investigation police department – C14, explained he advocates legalizing football betting because it would satisfy a large group of people for entertainment from the sport, decrease illegal betting, and bring home fresh funds for the state budget.

Huynh Vinh Ai, vice chairman of the Committee for Sports and Physical Training, said turnover raised from legal betting would be around VND5 trillion (US$313.5 million).

The number is even far less than that announced by the Vietnam Football Federation vice chairman Le Hung Dung.

He quoted a survey made by the American auditing firm Deloite&Touch confirming total turnover from illegal football betting in Vietnam would reach US$1 billion a year, according to an article in Tuoi Tre published Sept. 14.

Dung also said Singaporean betting firms estimated that around US$200 million is flown from Vietnam to Singapore, Hong Kong and Macau every year for football betting.

The draft bill on legalizing football betting is to be petitioned to the government for a final decision within this month.

Placing bets on the result of football game is, at present, totally banned in the country.

However, the government has recently given green light to the sports committee to compile a draft law on legalizing it after a series of cases of illegal football betting rocked the country.

The betting scandal resulted in the sacking of the nation’s deputy transport minister, as well as the resignation of the minister.

Source: Tuoi Tre, Sai Gon Giai Phong - Translated by Minh Phat