Casino Sunshine license revoked

Cambodia's Commercial Gambling Management Commission (CGMC) revoked the license of Casino Sunshine, also known as Punleu Preashath Casino, in Sihanoukville, in an action dated October 17. The press release announcing the revocation was only published on October 30¹.

The revocation came as the regulator suspended the licenses of 14 other casinos. Ros Phirun, the commission's secretary-general, shared the list on a Monday, saying the licenses were suspended because the operators were suspected of running online scams, had self-filed for suspension, or showed "seriously non-compliant license criteria after warnings and penalties"¹.

The suspended venues include several Sihanoukville casinos branded "Jin Bei" and a casino complex in Kandal province's Sampov Poun city connected to the sanctioned Prince Group. The U.S. and U.K. governments announced joint sanctions on October 14 against companies and individuals connected to Prince Group for operating online scams and laundering money, and the U.S. froze $15 billion in cryptocurrency¹.

Source: Commerce Ministry; Commercial Gambling Management Commission¹

Sihanoukville's Buon commune police chief Sam Prak said the Jin Bei casinos, which he described as having multiple locations, had been closed. "When it was closed, they asked [workers] to quit," Prak said¹. Authorities also raided Bavet's Silver Star Casino on November 1, alongside the CGMC and the secretariat of the commission for combating cybercrime. According to government news outlet TVK, authorities arrested 23 suspects from 9 countries, and the gambling regulator revoked Silver Star Casino's license¹.

What it means for players

A revoked or suspended license means the venue is no longer authorized to operate as a licensed casino in Cambodia. For anyone who gambles in Sihanoukville, Bavet or Poipet, the practical effect is that the named properties are no longer on the licensed list, and any money or dispute connected to them falls outside the regulator's licensing framework. The CGMC has not said what happens to outstanding player balances or deposits at the affected venues, and that has not been reported¹.

The list covers venues in several jurisdictions, so players checking whether a specific casino is licensed should verify the operator against the CGMC's current list rather than relying on signage or a previous license number. Cambodia's licensed casino sector is regulated by the CGMC, and the status of individual properties can change with each enforcement action¹.

What happens next

Ros Phirun said the CGMC was still looking into the Silver Star Casino case and in the process of filing a complaint, as the licensed Silver Star Casino appeared to move locations. "The former location that our people went to close [in the] last few days was running illegally," he said¹. Ou Sokhoeun, director of the Svay Rieng provincial labor department, said labor inspectors had visited Silver Star to find out how many workers would be suspended and how they would be paid, and that the assessment was not complete¹. No further dates for action against the 14 suspended casinos have been reported¹.