Cambodia's Ministry of Interior is preparing to amend the Law on Suppression of Gambling to align it with the Law on Commercial Gambling Management, with a technical working group chaired by interior ministry undersecretary of state Try Sokheng meeting on January 23 to discuss the changes1.
Sokheng said the working group's first task is to research and gather documents related to national and international laws, which will form the foundation for aligning the 1996 Law on Suppression of Gambling with the 2020 Law on Commercial Gambling Management1. He said the amendments are driven by technological advances in the digital age and are intended to strengthen the suppression and elimination of illegal gambling1.
The existing 1996 law sets out penalties that the amendment process will touch. Article 5 provides that individuals engaged in unauthorized gambling dens or gambling agent management may face a fine ranging from five to 20 million riel ($1,225 to $5,000), along with imprisonment from one to five years1. Under Article 10 of the same law, no authority other than the government can authorize gambling, and permitting gambling without government authorization may result in imprisonment of up to five years1.
"In a bid to adapt to technological advancements in the digital age, amendments to the 1996 law are underway. This initiative, driven by technological advancements, seeks to enhance the suppression and elimination of illegal gambling."
Yong Kim Eng, president of the People's Centre for Development and Peace, said the ministry's focus on amending and drafting gambling laws may not be the most crucial aspect, and instead emphasized inspecting all residential areas to ensure local authorities have not issued permits for gambling operations1. He said that if such permits were issued, eradicating gambling would be a daunting task and could lead people to shift from small-scale gambling dens to larger establishments1. He also claimed the government's attempts to amend and create new laws have not effectively eradicated illegal gambling, and that police crackdowns appear less effective because cases handled have not produced a significant reduction of gambling in communities1.
In the seventh government mandate, the Ministry of Interior has introduced a six-point policy addressing gambling, drug-related problems, criminal offenses, gang-related concerns, traffic accidents, human trafficking and border-related challenges1.
What it means for players
The working group is at the research stage, so no amended text, effective date or new penalty scale has been reported1. Until any amendment takes effect, the penalties in the 1996 law remain as written: fines of five to 20 million riel ($1,225 to $5,000) and one to five years in prison for running or managing an unauthorized gambling den or acting as a gambling agent, and up to five years in prison for permitting gambling without government authorization1. The 1996 law also states that only the government can authorize gambling, which means local permissions are not a lawful basis for operating or hosting gambling1. For locals, expats and visitors in Cambodia, the practical position described in the report is unchanged: commercial gambling is governed by the 2020 Law on Commercial Gambling Management, while unauthorized operations fall under the 1996 suppression law and its criminal penalties1. See the site's guide to gambling in Cambodia and its pages on gambling laws in Asia and recent and pending gambling law changes in Asia.
What happens next
The working group's stated first step is to research and gather national and international legal documents as groundwork for the alignment1. No timeline for drafting, consultation or passage of the amendments has been reported1.
Sources1 sources
- Ministry plan to align gambling legislation - Phnom Penh Post, phnompenhpost.com
