Vietnam discuss legalizing football betting
John Windsor, head of FIFAs football development department in Asia, said on arrival in the city (Ho Chi Minh)Â Monday that football betting was common around the world and closely tied to the sports development. He suggested that Vietnam should consult Singapore which successfully legalized betting. Making football betting legal would help boost the sport in Vietnam, thanks to the huge revenues it would bring. A source from sport betting firm Singapore Pool said Vietnamese sent US$400 million a year to foreign betting markets, and the US auditing firm Deloittes said Vietnamese spent $1 billion a year on illegal football betting. Legal betting would also be an important way of preventing illegal betting in Vietnam, the FIFA official pointed out. 
The meeting, being held at the Caravelle hotel, has attracted representatives from the Asian Football Confederation, UK betting firm Ladbrokes, and Singapore Pools in addition to Vietnamese officials.