Cambodia's government established a national working group to crack down on all types of illegal gambling through decision No. 62 dated September 16, 2022, signed by Prime Minister Hun Sen1. The decision came at the request of the Ministry of Interior2. The working group consists of 12 members and is led by Sok Phal, a secretary of state at the Ministry of Interior2.
The group is tasked with planning and setting principle strategies, and can instruct authorities to implement measures against all kinds of illegal gambling2. It will work with relevant authorities at the national and sub-national levels to investigate and combat illegal gambling2. It is also entitled to investigate human trafficking, labor exploitation, sex trafficking, money laundering and all other crimes happening or alleged to be happening in casinos or in connection with illegal gambling2.
On September 17, Hun Sen instructed authorities at all levels to combat these crimes1. He said the national working group depends entirely on local authorities, including commune, district and provincial police2.
"What is important is whether you want to do it or not."
He also called on local businesses to stop providing gambling services or face permanent shutdown, and called on people to stop gambling2.
On October 4, the Commercial Gambling Management Commission of Cambodia (CGMC) held a workshop in Phnom Penh to disseminate information about the Law on the Management of Integrated Resorts and Commercial Gambling to authorities at all levels1. About 200 people attended, including representatives from the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Justice, Court of Appeal and Phnom Penh Court of Appeal, as well as capital and provincial courts, judges, prosecutors and police chiefs1. Minister of Economy and Finance and CGMC chairman Aun Pornmoniroth said the government set up the working group in response to the spread of illegal gambling and the widespread promotion of legalized gambling1.
Sok Phal, head of the national working group, said authorities had shut down about 90 percent of all illegal gambling in the country, and that Preah Sihanouk province was clearly the primary focus of the government's efforts1. The People's Centre for Development and Peace president Yong Kim Eng said the crackdown required transparency and committed enforcement, and raised concern that some illegal gambling operations had government or law enforcement officials running them or benefiting from them1.
What it means for players
Cambodia's gambling laws distinguish between licensed commercial gambling, regulated under the Law on the Management of Integrated Resorts and Commercial Gambling, and illegal gambling, which the new working group is tasked with shutting down1. The working group's mandate covers crimes in casinos or connected to illegal gambling, including money laundering and trafficking offenses2. The prime minister's September 17 call was for Cambodians to give up all forms of gambling, and for local businesses to stop providing gambling services or face permanent shutdown2. The October 4 workshop was aimed at judges, prosecutors and police chiefs, to align enforcement of the commercial gambling law across national and sub-national authorities1. For anyone using offshore gambling sites or unlicensed venues, enforcement is directed at illegal operations, and the sources do not describe any new penalties aimed at individual players.
What happens next
The working group is to plan strategies and issue instructions to authorities at all levels, and to cooperate with national and sub-national bodies to investigate and act against illegal gambling sites1.
Hun Sen said he would not hesitate to remove provincial or capital governors, district governors or police officials at any level who do not do their jobs responsibly2. No further dated steps are reported in the sources.
