The Vietnamese government has asked authorities to inspect hotels and tourist facilities that operate electronic gaming centers for foreigners, not for Vietnamese citizens, after 81 local people were arrested for illegally gambling.

The inspection, whose results must be reported to the government in the third quarter of this year, comes after police raided the centers, a form of casinos with the presence of slot machines, at five big hotels in southern Ho Chi Minh City and Vung Tau city late last month, detaining the Vietnamese gamblers, local newspaper Vietnam News reported Wednesday.

Local police are investigating further into the case to find any possible violations of the centers' operators. The country's Ministry of Planning and Investment and provincial authorities will consider withdrawing licenses that had been granted to such violators.

To date, 30 licenses have been granted to luxury hotels and tourism-related facilities to operate slot machines on their premises.

Gambling, especially in the forms of soccer betting and card playing, is widespread in Vietnam, although all kinds of gambling, except for casinos designated for foreigners and overseas Vietnamese, are illegal in the country.

Source: Xinhua