Cambodian authorities raided the site of the former Paradis Island Casino in Sihanoukville on March 9, 2024, and a second location in the city the following day, detaining a total of 195 foreigners who will be deported from Cambodia1. The operation targeted illegal online gambling operations, and Vietnamese police later described the Paradis Island raid as resulting in the arrest and deportation of 172 foreigners, including more than 100 Vietnamese nationals2.
- The March 9, 2024 raid at the former Paradis Island Casino found 172 foreigners of four nationalities1.
- A second raid on March 10, 2024 found 28 foreigners, 27 Chinese and 1 Myanmar, who were sent for deportation1.
- Five managers, four Taiwanese and one Chinese, were arrested and will be sent to the Sihanoukville Provincial Court1.
At the former Paradis Island Casino site, police found 172 foreigners, 43 of them female, of four nationalities: 109 Vietnamese, 54 Thais, 8 Taiwanese and 1 Chinese1. Five managers of two nationalities, four Taiwanese and one Chinese, were arrested and will be sent to the Sihanoukville Provincial Court1. A further 167 foreigners, 41 of them female, of three nationalities, 109 Vietnamese, 54 Thais and 4 Taiwanese, were sent to the General Department of Immigration to be deported1.
The second raid, on March 10, 2024, took place at a location in Group 23, Village 2, Sangkat 3, Sihanoukville1. Police there found 279 Cambodians, 227 of them female, and 28 foreigners of two nationalities, 27 Chinese and 1 Myanmar1. The 28 foreigners were sent to the General Department of Immigration to be deported1.
| Date | Location | Foreigners found | Nationalities | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 9, 2024 | Former Paradis Island Casino, Sihanoukville | 172 (43 female) | 109 Vietnamese, 54 Thai, 8 Taiwanese, 1 Chinese | 5 managers arrested; 167 sent for deportation |
| March 10, 2024 | Group 23, Village 2, Sangkat 3, Sihanoukville | 28 | 27 Chinese, 1 Myanmar | 28 sent for deportation |
The Khmer Times reported that the crackdown was carried out with the aim of eliminating all kinds of scamming online locations in Sihanoukville1.
"The above crackdown operation was carried out with the aim of eliminating all kinds of scamming online locations in Sihanoukville."
The two accounts differ on the number of nationalities recorded at the Paradis Island site. The Khmer Times lists four nationalities in its headline figure and in the breakdown of those found, while a separate line in the same report describes 167 deportees of three nationalities1. Vietnamese state media, citing the Khmer Times, reported the raid as leading to the arrest and deportation of 172 foreigners, including over 100 Vietnamese nationals2.
The Paradis Island raid was one of two events in March 2024 linked to cross-border gambling movement. Vietnamese police said that in March, Vietnam received more than 100 citizens who had been arrested and deported by Cambodian authorities on gambling-related charges2.
What it means for players
Cambodia licenses casinos and gaming venues, but online gambling operations run from the country are illegal, and the Sihanoukville raids show that foreign nationals present at such sites face detention and deportation rather than prosecution in Cambodia. For Vietnamese nationals, the practical risk runs in both directions: Vietnamese police have dismantled a network that moved gamblers illegally across the Vietnam-Cambodia border, and those detained in Cambodia have been returned to Vietnam2. Anyone considering a casino on the Cambodian side of the Vietnam border should note that entry and exit routes, not just the venue, have been the subject of enforcement. See Can Foreigners Gamble in Cambodia? and Bavet Casinos and Other Casinos on the Vietnam Border for how licensing and entry rules work, and Can Vietnamese Citizens Enter a Casino? for the rules on the Vietnamese side.
What happens next
The five managers arrested at the Paradis Island site were to be sent to the Sihanoukville Provincial Court under the law in force1. The 167 foreigners from that site and the 28 from the second raid were sent to the General Department of Immigration for deportation1. No outcome of the court proceedings has been reported.
