Prime Minister Hun Sen on Saturday issued what the Khmer Times called an absolute order to city, provincial and district governors, police, military police and grassroots officials to crack down on all kinds of illegal gambling businesses nationwide1. The order, reported on September 19, 2022, threatened removal from office for officials who fail to act or who collude with gambling business owners, and permanent closure for businesses found hosting illegal gambling1.
The order named on-off-line cockfighting, lottery and lucky numbers as the kinds of gambling generally set up secretly in cafes or food courts1. Hun Sen said local officials should not wait for national-level intervention, and that businesses found with illegal gambling inside must be closed permanently1.
"I hereby release very strict order to take action to crack down [gambling businesses] most quickly and absolutely"
"I hereby state to all vendors and gambling business owners that if you want to keep business running, not closed, you have to immediately remove all kinds of illegal gambling because you destroy your businesses through the removal of license, which will not allow you to run the business anymore"
Raids followed in Phnom Penh the next morning as part of a coordinated strategy to suppress illegal gambling, after an emergency meeting of the Phnom Penh Municipal Unity Command led by Governor Khuong Sreng1. Reported arrests by district were:
| District | Arrests |
|---|---|
| Boeung Keng Kang | 11 detained |
| Sen Sok | 12 men and women |
| Khan Kambol | 8 |
| Khan Toul Kork | 6 |
| Khan Chroy Changva | 4 |
| Khan Russey Keo | 3 |
| Chbar Ampov | 2 |
The Sen Sok operation took place at the Josibiyako bar in O Bek Kaom commune, Khan Sen Sok district, Phnom Penh1. In Tonle Bassac district, Chamkar Mon District Governor Kieng Leak led a force to crack down on a gambling place on Saturday afternoon, with suspects arrested and gambling equipment seized1.
A later industry report said that since the September announcement, authorities had shut down 230 illegal gambling businesses and arrested more than 600 people2. The same report described the September warning as covering consequences for officials who did not act and the closure of any business, such as cafes, which allowed gambling on their premises2.
Cambodia's legal casino market is separate from the illegal operations targeted by the order. Under the Law on the Management of Integrated Resorts and Commercial Gambling, passed at the end of 2020, only foreigners can gamble in Cambodian casinos, and minors under 18 are barred2. Hun Sen banned online gambling in 20192. At the end of last year Cambodia had 86 licensed casinos with another 75 licenses pending2.
What it means for players
The order targets illegal gambling, not licensed casinos. For locals, the forms named in the order, including cockfighting, lottery and lucky numbers run out of cafes and food courts, are the ones authorities were told to shut, and premises found hosting them face permanent closure and loss of license1. For expats and visitors, the licensed casino sector remains governed by the 2020 law, under which only foreigners may gamble in casinos2. The raids described took place in Phnom Penh districts and involved arrests and seizure of gambling equipment1. The sources do not report any change to the rules for licensed casinos, and no new penalties for players were announced.
What happens next
Officials at city, provincial, district and grassroots level were ordered to act, with removal from their posts if they fail to comply or are found colluding with gambling business owners1. Businesses found hosting illegal gambling are to be closed permanently1. No further dated steps are given in the sources.
Sources2 sources
- PM orders crackdown on illegal gambling businesses, khmertimeskh.com
- G3 September 2023, g3newswire.com
