The United States announced sanctions in September 2025 targeting 20 companies and businesses accused of facilitating scam centers in countries including Cambodia and Myanmar1. The action was announced by the US Department of the Treasury1.
The September measures were the earlier of two rounds of US sanctions against scam-related networks in the region. The Treasury later announced sanctions against Cambodian Senator Kok An, accusing him of using his influence and connections to protect a network of scam operators1. The department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said it would take action against An and 28 individuals and entities in his network1. The Treasury accused Kok An of operating fraud centers out of casinos and office parks "retrofitted for fraudulent activity"1.
The Treasury described the methods used in the schemes it targeted. In a statement it said:
"Using the lure of friendship or romantic relationships, these fraudsters coax vulnerable Americans into transferring their savings in the form of digital assets by promising investment opportunities and high returns, only to steal the funds outright."
Scam centers have proliferated across Southeast Asia since the COVID-19 pandemic in the early 2020s, when entertainment hubs such as casinos struggled to operate amid slumping tourism1. Some shifted to online operations and digital schemes defrauding people around the world1. United Nations estimates suggest that as many as 300,000 people could be entangled in the industry across the region, some of them without their consent1. The Department of Justice described how some victims are lured to Thailand with the prospect of work, then trafficked across the border to Myanmar or Cambodia1.
Cambodia's parliament recently passed a law meant to help combat cyberscams in the face of growing pressure to crack down on illicit networks1. Some of the scam enterprises, however, are thought to have connections with powerful figures in politics and business1.
What it means for players
The sanctions target companies and individuals accused of running fraud operations, not licensed gambling businesses, and the reports do not say that any licensed casino or betting operator in Cambodia, Myanmar or elsewhere was sanctioned1. For people who gamble in the region, the reported link between scam operations and casinos and office parks "retrofitted for fraudulent activity" concerns venues that host fraud rather than regulated gambling floors1. The reports do not state which specific companies or businesses were named in the September action, and that list has not been reported in the material available1.
The Treasury's description of the schemes, which use friendship or romantic approaches and promises of investment returns to move money in digital assets, describes fraud rather than gambling1. The reports do not say whether any gambling product was involved in the sanctioned activity1.
What happens next
The reports do not set out a timetable for the September sanctions or state what enforcement steps follow1. Cambodia's parliament has passed a law meant to help combat cyberscams, and the reports do not say when it takes effect or how it will be enforced1.
