Preah Sihanouk Provincial Unity Command detained 467 foreigners, 75 of them female, in a three-day operation at a complex in Sihanoukville, the Khmer Times reported. The operation ran from 19 to 22 September 2022 at the site of "Jing Chhay Technology" in eight buildings in Village 3, Sangkat 1, Sihanoukville1.
The detainees came from ten nationalities: 274 Chinese (33 female), 158 Vietnamese (34 female), 15 Malaysians (2 female), 6 Taiwanese, 4 Indians, 3 Indonesians (2 female), 3 Thais (1 female), 2 Russians (2 female), 1 Bangladeshi and 1 Myanmar national (female)1. Authorities identified 238 illegal immigrants among them, 32 female, across eight nationalities: 99 Chinese (6 female), 122 Vietnamese (24 female), 5 Malaysians, 5 Thais (1 female), 3 Indians, 2 Taiwanese, 1 Bangladeshi and 1 Myanmar national (female)1.
After labor and immigration authorities checked documents, they recorded 414 foreigners including 42 women. Of those, 236 were working without work permits, 39 of them female; all 236 were fined and 118 million Riels was collected in tax for making work permits. A further 168 foreigners without passports, 17 female, were staying in Galaxy World, among them 130 Chinese (8 female), 33 Vietnamese (7 female), 3 Malaysians and 2 Laotians (2 female)1.
The specialized force identified illegal online gambling offenses, human trafficking offenses and prostitution offenses1. The command set out measures including closing all businesses at the site, called Cheung Chhay Technology or Jing Chhay 05, except the restaurant, whose owner decides whether to leave or continue. It ordered the temporary closure of floors in Buildings 06, 07, 08, 09, 10 and 11, and handed seized material and property to the Sihanoukville Unification Committee1.
"Build cases related to illegal online gambling, send to court and continue to investigate money laundering crimes."
The Anti-Human Trafficking and Juvenile Protection unit of the Preah Sihanouk Provincial Police Commission was to build a human trafficking and prostitution case, send 5 suspects to court and continue investigating money laundering1. Legal foreigners, and those already fined for immigration violations and given work permits, were to sign an education contract allowing them to leave for a new place1.
What it means for players
The raid targeted a compound that authorities linked to illegal online gambling, not licensed casino floors. Cambodia's licensed casinos and legal gambling venues are a separate matter from the unlicensed operations inside such complexes, and the Cambodia gambling guide sets out what is legal and where. The action is part of a wider pattern of enforcement against offshore online gambling hubs across the region, covered in crackdowns on offshore online gambling hubs in Asia.
For anyone in Cambodia, the practical point is that unlicensed online operations and the buildings housing them can be shut with little notice, and workers inside them face immigration checks, fines and possible court cases. The gambling scams and safety guide explains how scam compounds and fake sites operate and how to report them. People weighing casino and online gambling job offers in Cambodia should note that the workers caught in this raid were found without work permits or passports. Whether using offshore sites is illegal is addressed in is it illegal to use offshore gambling sites in Asia?, and the country-by-country position is in gambling laws in Asia and is online gambling legal in Asia?.
What happens next
The command said cases related to illegal online gambling would be sent to court, with money laundering investigations continuing. Five suspects in the human trafficking and prostitution case were to be sent to court, also with continuing money laundering investigations1. No dates for hearings or further operations have been reported.
