Vietnamese online gambling site uses Facebook Live video to lure customers

A Vietnam-facing online gambling site is using the Facebook Live streaming service to market its wares to punters.

According to a report by Zing.vn, a Facebook fan page named Co Bac Vip (VIP Gambling) recently streamed a 45-minute video of a girl in what appears to be an online gambling live dealer studio playing the popular Vietnamese xoc dia game, in which coin-shaped tokens are shaken in a bowl, which is then inverted, revealing the lucky (or not) result.

The video was played in a loop all day, attracting over 54k views and 2,100 comments. The page included links that took users to Cobacvip.com, an actual online gambling site where players could wager real money on xoc dia and other casino games or bet on sports.

Casino gambling is illegal in Vietnam, unless you’re a foreign tourist or a Vietnamese citizen holding an international passport. The government is toying with the idea of relaxing these restrictions, but they’ve been saying that for a while, and until that happy day arrives, local residents’ only options are underground gambling dens, casinos located across the border in Cambodia or internationally licensed online gambling sites.