Cambodian PM announces suspension of gambling license issuance and reviews revocations

Prime Minister Hun Manet said on March 3 that he has suspended the issuance of gambling licenses in Cambodia and is reviewing whether to revoke licenses already granted, telling a meeting with Cambodians in Melbourne, Australia that gambling brings no benefit¹. The meeting was held with members of the Cambodian diaspora living in Australia and New Zealand².

The prime minister said he had asked Aun Pornmoniroth, the Minister of Economy and Finance, to examine the feasibility of a policy that would cancel existing gambling licenses and redirect the companies' capital into productive industry, such as a factory². He said lotteries in particular should be made difficult and unprofitable to run².

The accounts of what he ordered differ slightly in wording. Khmer Times and Fresh News report him saying he ordered the suspension of license issuance and is reviewing the possibility of revoking licenses¹. The Phnom Penh Post reports him saying he ordered the suspension of the issuance of gambling licenses and is taking measures to reduce or cancel existing licenses, and separately quotes him saying "Even legal gambling must come to an end"². No timeline, number of licenses affected or list of affected operators has been reported¹.

Separately, Touch Sokhak, deputy spokesman of the Ministry of Interior, said on March 4 that from January 1 to March 3 the ministry had investigated illegal gambling at 300 locations across the capital and 18 provinces, detaining 496 people². The breakdown he gave:

Within the 69 cases pursued, one was an illegal online gambling operation with six arrests; internet gambling under the banner of a legitimate license was found at seven locations with 31 suspects arrested; and the remaining 61 cases involved other illegal games of chance, with 157 suspects awaiting trial². The crackdown on illegal gambling is one of six priority goals set by Minister of Interior Sar Sokha at the start of the seventh-mandate government².

Economist and social researcher Chey Tech supported a ban on gambling but said properly licensed casinos should be allowed to keep operating to contribute to tourism and the economy, in accordance with Cambodian law².

What it means for players

Cambodia's gambling law already bars most residents from casino gambling, and the prime minister's remarks point to tighter treatment of the licensed sector rather than a new opening. For visitors and foreigners, the practical question is whether the venues they use hold valid licenses, since the government says it is reviewing revocations and has not published which licenses are at risk. Anyone checking an operator can use the licensed casinos list for Cambodia and the wider guide to gambling regulators and licenses in Asia to see who licenses what. The enforcement figures also show that online gambling operating under a legitimate license was among the cases pursued, so a claim of licensing is not by itself a guarantee of legality; the guide to fake gambling license claims covers how such claims are checked. Sports betting and poker in Cambodia are covered in the sports betting and poker guides.

What happens next

The prime minister has asked the Minister of Economy and Finance to study the feasibility of canceling existing licenses and moving that capital into other industries². No decision, date or mechanism for any revocation has been reported¹. The Ministry of Interior's illegal gambling crackdown remains one of its six priority goals².