First Day of Online Gambling Inspections in Cambodia Goes Smoothly

No illegal online gambling activities were detected during the first day of inspections of Cambodia’s casinos, according to information from the country’s Interior Ministry.

Last summer, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen issued a directive prohibiting all forms of online gambling on the territory of the country. The ban came into force on Wednesday, January 1.

Wednesday also saw the start of three-day inspections that aim to check whether Cambodia’s casino operators are adhering to the new rules.

Over the years, Cambodia has turned into a boon for online gambling. The country’s previous gambling regulatory regime enabled operators of land-based casinos to obtain online gambling licenses and conduct online gaming and betting activities. They were prohibited from servicing Cambodian customers.

The majority of Cambodia’s casinos are operated by Chinese investors who sought to obtain online licenses and provide services to Mainland China customers, thus circumventing a long-standing ban on online gambling in their homeland.

In August, the Cambodian Prime Minister ordered the closure of all online gambling operations conducted from within his country. He said back then that the ban aimed to stop foreign criminals who had taken refuge in the country’s online gambling industry to “cheat and extort money” from both domestic and international victims. Prime Minister Hun Sen also said that he did not want his country to be so heavily reliant on online gambling.

No Illegal Operations Detected During First Day of Inspections

The Interior Ministry’s anti-commercial gambling department kicked off three-day inspections on Wednesday. Lieutenant General Sien Sen, director of the department, said that all casinos inspected on January 1 were found to have been adhering to the online gambling ban.

Lt Gen Sen confirmed that it would take three days for all casinos in the country to be inspected and that they are only cracking down on online gambling and arcade activities, which became illegal with the start of 2020.

The official also noted that the chief of the National Police, General Neth Savoeun, met earlier this week with representatives from Cambodia’s land-based casinos to brief them about the ban. Lt Gen Sen said that casino operators have so far been cooperating well with Cambodian authorities.

Prime Minister Hun Sen’s August announcement about the nationwide online gambling ban prompted massive closures of land-based casinos and exodus of Chinese workers employed at those.

According to information from Cambodia’s Finance Ministry, there are currently 136 operational casinos in the country, and 91 of those conducted online gambling activities before the ban took effect.

And the General Department of Immigration said earlier this week that nearly 450,000 Chinese nationals have left Cambodia since the ban was first announced this past August.

The majority of the nation’s casinos are located in the Preah Sihanouk province. Provincial Hall spokesperson Kheang Phearom said Wednesday that there are over 70 casinos left around the province.

He also revealed that authorities did not come across illegal online gambling activities during the first day of inspections. The province has three groups conducting inspections and these have been smooth so far.

Source: Inspections show no sign of online gambling so far

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