Men Eng, deputy governor of Svay Rieng province, led a police team to inspect a venue called Bak Sey Keila inside the New World Casino in Bavet City at 1pm on October 1, 2022, after reports that the casino hosted cockfighting and online poker and allowed Cambodians to gamble1. The inspection found the casino holds a valid license until 2026 issued by the General Secretariat of the Cambodian Gambling Management Commission, and that no Cambodians were gambling there1.
Eng said the cockfighting was not being played by Cambodians, as had been reported1. The manager of the venue confirmed that Cambodians are not allowed to gamble, but that Cambodian staff were employed there1. The working group made an education contract with the casino not to allow Cambodians to gamble, and stated that if evidence is found, authorities will take legal action2.
Allowing Cambodian people to participate in gambling on cockfights and online poker is strictly against Cambodian law2. The inspection followed information published that the casino was allowing Cambodians to take part in both activities2.
The casino check was part of a wider enforcement push. Sok Phal, secretary of state at the Ministry of Interior and head of the national working group to crack down on illegal gambling, said at a September 30 meeting in Sihanoukville that more than 90 percent of illegal gambling dens had closed after an eight-day nationwide crackdown1.
"We all know that we have busted hundreds of places, and now gambling has died out, with more than 90 percent of illegal dens closed down."
The Preah Sihanouk Provincial Administration said a ministry team with provincial authorities raided five illegal gambling sites in Sihanoukville and identified multiple foreign suspects, with more than 1,000 foreigners of 10 nationalities held on suspicion of human trafficking, prostitution, online gambling and breaching immigration laws1. Phnom Penh deputy governor Khliang Huot said illegal pawnshops are a source of crime and gambling, and that all pawnshops accepting stolen goods or items with insufficient documentation in Toul Kork's Khang Romsev and other Phnom Penh locations must be eliminated1.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Venue inspected | Bak Sey Keila, New World Casino, Bavet City1 |
| Date and time | 1pm, October 1, 20222 |
| License | Valid until 2026, issued by the General Secretariat of the Cambodian Gambling Management Commission1 |
| Finding | No Cambodians found gambling at the location2 |
| Action | Education contract not to allow Cambodians to gamble; legal action if evidence found2 |
What it means for players
Cambodia bars its own nationals from gambling in licensed casinos, and the inspection treated cockfighting and online poker as gambling covered by that ban2. The casino's license remains valid to 2026, so the venue itself was not shut down over the report1. The reported outcome for players is that the ban on Cambodian participation was restated and put in writing with the operator, with the threat of legal action if evidence of it emerges2. The sources do not say what checks, if any, are applied to foreign players at the venue, or whether the cockfighting and poker operations continued after the visit. The sources also do not report any penalty, fine or charge arising from the inspection.
What happens next
The working group said it will continue to inspect all locations suspected of unlicensed use and take strict legal action against business owners wherever crimes are discovered1. Sok Phal said remaining locations still running illegal businesses would be shut down in cooperation with Preah Sihanouk and other provincial authorities1. No further dated steps for the New World Casino inspection are reported.
For background on which venues hold licenses and who may enter them, see Which Casinos in Cambodia Are Licensed? and Casinos in Cambodia: Who Can Go In. The rules on what Cambodians and foreigners may and may not do are set out in Cambodia's Gambling Law: What Players Can and Cannot Do, with a general overview at Can I Gamble in Cambodia?.
