What are the penalties for gambling for fun during Tet (Lunar New Year)?

If we gamble with our siblings and friends during Tet (Lunar New Year), would we be breaking the law, and what kind of penalties would we face?

According to the Supreme People's Court's guidelines, illegal gambling is any form of gambling conducted with the aim of winning or losing money or objects without permission from a competent state authority... Therefore, playing card games like "ta la," "to tom," or "tam cuc" for money, even if it's only a few tens of thousands of dong, is considered illegal gambling and a violation of the law.

Illustrative image.

In fact, during the Lunar New Year, many families gather to play cards for money. Everyone thinks it's a fun family activity, and sometimes the winnings are used for shared meals and expenses. However, according to the guidelines of the Supreme People's Court, this is also an illegal gambling activity.

According to the law, if gambling involves an amount less than 5 million VND, the gambler will be subject to administrative penalties under Article 26 of Decree No. 167/2013. Specifically, anyone who buys lottery numbers or betting slips will be fined from 200,000 VND to 500,000 VND.

A fine of 1 million to 2 million VND will be imposed for any of the following acts: Illegal gambling in any form such as dice games, card games like "ta la," "to tom," "tu lo kho," "tam cuc," "3 cay," "tu sac," "do den," "co the," or other forms where winnings and losses are determined by money or objects...

For gambling activities involving sums of 5 million VND or more, the gambler may be prosecuted for the crime of Gambling.

Furthermore, anyone who has already been penalized for administrative violations or convicted of acts or crimes related to gambling, and who commits the same offense again, even if the amount gambled is less than 5 million VND, still risks criminal prosecution.

Lawyer Giang Hong Thanh, Head of Giang Thanh Law Office

According to Zing.vn