New Casino Laws in Asia: Integrated Resorts and Pending Bills

Where casinos are legal for locals: the two openings that matter

Most of Asia's casinos are built for visitors. South Korea is the clearest example: Jeju's casino floors, including Paradise Casino Jeju Grand, are foreigners-only facilities, and Korean nationals are turned away at the door⁹. The same pattern runs through several Jeju properties, where entry is limited to foreign nationals and overseas permanent residents¹¹.

Two places have moved in the other direction. Vietnam now lets qualifying citizens play at specific casino projects, and Japan has licensed a resort that will admit Japanese residents under rules still being finalized. Everything else in the region is either unchanged or still a proposal.

South Korea's exception is worth knowing because it shows how a local-access casino works in practice. Kangwon Land is the only casino in the country that grants admission to Korean citizens as well as foreign visitors¹³. It exists under a special law for abandoned mining areas, and Korean courts have treated entry there as a permitted act rather than an offense¹⁴. If you are Korean and want to gamble at a table in your own country, that is effectively the one door open to you.

Vietnam's pilot: who qualifies to play at Corona Phú Quốc

Vietnam's change is the most concrete of the recent openings. A resolution effective November 26, 2025 allows qualifying Vietnamese citizens to enter and play at casinos in the Phú Quốc, Ho Tram and Van Don projects². Corona Resort & Casino Phú Quốc is the first property in the country licensed to welcome Vietnamese guests back under that resolution¹.

The rules for Vietnamese players are specific. You must be at least 21 years old and have full civil act capacity under Vietnamese law³. You must be able to prove regular income of at least 10 million dong per month, or fall into personal income tax bracket three or higher³. You must not be subject to an exclusion request from a close relative or from yourself³. And you must buy an entry ticket, which is where the cost sits.

Foreign visitors and overseas Vietnamese holding foreign passports are treated differently. They are not subject to the income test or the entry ticket, and they may receive winnings and transfer or carry them abroad in foreign currency under Vietnam's foreign exchange rules³.

The pilot has a defined life. Under the draft rules now circulating, the pilot runs for a period set by the competent authority, and when it ends, casinos stop admitting Vietnamese players until the government decides whether to continue⁷. The earlier Phú Quốc pilot program had been set to run to the end of 2024, so the current arrangement is a continuation rather than a permanent settlement⁴.

Entry levy for Vietnamese players: VND 2.5 million a day

The entry ticket is the number Vietnamese players ask about first, and there are two figures in circulation. The rule as it stands in the current guidance is 1 million dong per 24 continuous hours per person, or 25 million dong per month per person³. That is the level Vietnamese citizens have been paying at licensed casinos under the existing framework¹⁵.

The Finance Ministry has proposed raising it. Under the draft decree, the ticket would go to 2.5 million dong per 24 continuous hours per person, about 100 US dollars, which is 2.5 times the current level, or 50 million dong per month per person, about 2,000 dollars, which is double the current monthly figure⁴. The draft text itself states 2.5 million dong per day or 50 million dong per month⁶.

So which applies? Until the higher figures are formally adopted, the 1 million dong daily and 25 million dong monthly levels are the ones in the operative guidance³. If you are planning a trip around the ticket price, check the current rate at the property rather than relying on the draft numbers.

For comparison, Singapore charges its own residents an entry levy of S$150 for every consecutive 24 hour period¹⁶. Thailand's current fee schedule, which applies to the casino that would operate under its entertainment complex framework, sets 1,000 baht per entry for a Thai national aged 20 or over and 5,000 baht per entry for a foreigner aged 20 or over⁸.

Corona Resort & Casino Phú Quốc: games, floor and facilities

Corona sits at Khu Bãi Dài in Phú Quốc special zone, An Giang Province, about 35 minutes by car from Phú Quốc airport¹. It is part of a resort complex that also includes four five-star hotel brands, Vinpearl Safari, VinWonders, Grand World, an 18 hole golf course, a spa and several restaurants and bars¹. The casino floor holds 1,470 gaming machines and 147 tables⁴.

For a first visit, the practical sequence is straightforward.

1. Bring valid ID, which can be a passport, citizen ID or CCCD¹.
2. New guests register as members.
3. Vietnamese guests additionally submit income proof documents and buy an entry ticket.
4. VIP guests receive an entry card, while regular guests get a ticket confirmation mark¹.

On the floor, chips are bought at the cage. You hand over cash, either dong or an accepted foreign currency, along with your ID, and receive convention currency, which is what the chips are called in the rules¹. Vietnamese players may only use dong to exchange for chips, and chips must be converted back into dong if they are unplayed or represent winnings³. Foreign guests can exchange accepted foreign currencies at the cage¹.

A few house rules are worth knowing before you go. The casino enforces a 21 and over age limit, and children under 21 may not enter the casino area¹. Staff can refuse service or ask a drunk guest to leave the floor¹. Support staff speak Vietnamese, English, Chinese and Korean¹. The property has hosted large poker events, including the APT Corona Phú Quốc Open Poker Tour, described as Asia's largest poker tournament in 2024¹.

Japan's first IR: Osaka's casino license and planned opening

Japan's first integrated resort is licensed for Osaka and is not open. MGM Osaka is described as Japan's first legal casino resort, and the resort is designed to include hotels, convention centers, entertainment venues and large casino floors⁵. The target opening is autumn 2030⁶.

Because the casino business has not yet started, there is no operating record to report on it¹⁷. That matters for anyone planning around it: there is no floor to visit, no entry procedure published for players, and no ticket price. What exists is a license and a construction timeline.

The access rules for Japanese residents are still being shaped. The law requires the government to take measures, including setting the scope of who may enter casino facilities, to prevent harmful effects from casino use by people other than foreign tourists¹⁸. In practice that means Japanese residents will likely face some form of entry condition, but the specific mechanism is not settled. What is already specified is identity checking: when entering and leaving the casino gaming area, identity details and non-membership of banned categories are confirmed using a My Number Card or similar¹⁹.

If you are an expat in Japan, the honest answer today is that there is nothing to visit yet. The Osaka resort is a 2030 proposition, and the rules that will apply to residents will be clearer closer to opening.

Thailand's Entertainment Complex Bill: what it would allow

Thailand's casino plan is a draft bill, not a law in force, and no casino is open. The Entertainment Complex Bill would set the minimum gambling age at 20⁷. It would require Thai citizens to hold at least 50 million baht in fixed deposits for six months, and it mandates a minimum 5,000 baht casino entrance fee for Thai citizens, while foreigners could enter for free⁷. The draft also proposes a 17 percent tax on gross gaming revenue⁷.

The fee schedule published in the Royal Gazette takes a different shape, setting 1,000 baht per entry for a Thai national aged 20 or over, 5,000 baht per entry for a foreigner aged 20 or over, and 500 baht per entry for a Thai national under 20⁸. The schedule also requires foreigners to present a passport or an equivalent foreign document²⁰.

Those two sets of numbers do not match, and that is the point to hold onto: the bill's figures are proposals, and the published schedule is the fee table attached to the framework. Neither is a price you can pay today, because there is no Thai casino to walk into.

Timing is the other practical fact. The first entertainment complex could open by 2030, with construction expected to take at least four years once the legislation is approved²¹. If you are in Thailand now, the casino question is a future one.

What the Thai bill does not cover: online gambling

Thailand's casino debate is about land-based complexes. It does not legalize online play. There are no online casinos approved or regulated by the Thai government, and the country's gambling landscape remains in a gray zone²². The Gambling Act does not address online gambling directly, but it bans nearly all wagering activities²².

For a resident or visitor in Thailand, that means the arrival of a legal casino resort would not make offshore casino websites legal. Playing on offshore casino websites is illegal in Thailand, and the practical risk is prosecution rather than a fine at the border. If you want the regional picture on that, see Is Online Gambling Legal in Asia? The 12 Jurisdictions Compared.

Entry rules compared: deposits, IDs and exclusions

The table below sets out what each jurisdiction requires of the people who want to walk in. Where a rule is proposed rather than in force, it is marked.

Identity checks are tightening across the region. Japan will confirm identity and banned-category status with a My Number Card or similar at the casino gaming area entrance and exit¹⁹. Korea's foreigner-only casinos are being pushed to strengthen nationality screening and customer data management²³. Vietnam's draft decree would issue electronic ID cards to all players, Vietnamese and foreign, containing personal details, access permissions and expiry dates⁴.

Exclusions work differently depending on where you are. In Vietnam, a Vietnamese player may not play if a close relative with full civil act capacity, such as a parent, spouse or biological child, or the player themselves has asked the casino to bar them³. Corona operates a banned-from-play mechanism on the request of relatives¹. Singapore runs a formal system of third party exclusions and visit limits designed to protect financially vulnerable citizens and permanent residents, and you can apply for self exclusion or a voluntary visit limit²⁴.

How the new rules treat residents versus foreign visitors

The split between locals and visitors is the single most useful thing to understand about casino legalization in Asia. In most jurisdictions, the casino exists for the foreign passport holder. Jeju's foreigner-only properties, including Hyatt Regency's casino, KAL Hotel's casino and Majesta, admit foreigners and exclude Korean nationals¹¹. Paradise Casino Paradise City states plainly that it is for foreign nationals and overseas permanent residents only, with Korean nationals barred²⁷.

Vietnam has flipped that for one property. At Corona Phú Quốc, Vietnamese nationals who meet the conditions may play, and they were admitted from November 26, 2025¹. Foreign guests continue to enter on easier terms: no income proof, no entry ticket, and winnings can be taken abroad in foreign currency³.

Japan is heading toward a middle path. The law requires measures to limit casino access for people other than foreign tourists, which signals that Japanese residents will face conditions that visitors will not¹⁸. The exact scope is still to be determined, so an expat in Osaka should expect to show ID and possibly more, but should not expect a published rulebook yet.

Thailand's draft draws the line at the wallet. Thai citizens would need 50 million baht on deposit for six months and would pay an entrance fee, while foreigners would enter free⁷. That is a proposal, and the published fee schedule uses different numbers, so treat both as provisional⁸.

If you are a foreign resident rather than a tourist, the rules can differ again. Some jurisdictions treat permanent residents alongside citizens for levies and exclusions, as Singapore does with its S$150 levy and its exclusion regime¹⁶. Others, like Korea's Jeju casinos, admit overseas permanent residents alongside foreign nationals²⁷. Before you travel, check which category the property applies to you, because the difference can be an entry fee, an income test or a refusal at the door.