236 locations sealed nationwide since 2025 in scam crackdown

Cambodian authorities arrested more than 60 people in raids in Preah Sihanouk and Phnom Penh on March 23 and 24, as the Commission for Combating Online Scams reported that 236 locations nationwide have been raided and sealed between 2025 and the second week of March this year¹.

Colonel Sem Watana, an officer with the commission, said most of the 50 suspects detained in the Sihanoukville operation are Chinese, along with five Indians, three Bangladeshis, two Pakistanis, one Myanmarese and three Cambodians¹. They were arrested on March 23 during coordinated raids on 26 locations in Buon commune, Sihanoukville, including hotels, casinos, apartments, villas and rented houses¹. The operation was led by the Preah Sihanouk Provincial Authority with a deputy prosecutor¹. Authorities seized 186 desktop computers, 154 mobile phones, SIM cards and other items believed to have been used in cybercrime¹.

In a separate raid on March 24, authorities arrested 15 Chinese at a rented apartment in Phnom Penh's Chroy Changvar district, confiscating five laptops, 43 mobile phones, a car and other equipment¹. All raided premises have been temporarily closed, and the suspects are being detained for questioning and further investigation¹.

The commission said the 236 sealed locations include 91 casinos and 145 hotels, villas, apartments and residences¹. Over the past eight months, 697 people of various nationalities have been arrested, charged and detained over online scam operations in Cambodia, including Chinese, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Japanese, South Korean, Bangladeshi, Singaporean, Nepalese, Indian, Malaysian, Pakistani and Thai nationals¹.

Preliminary forensic analysis of the seized devices indicates the suspects used Cambodia as a base to conduct online scams, primarily targeting victims abroad by luring them into fake investment schemes¹.

What it means for players

The figures show that casinos are a significant part of the premises sealed in this crackdown: 91 of the 236 locations named by the commission¹. The raids described took place in Sihanoukville and Phnom Penh, and the seized equipment points to operations targeting victims abroad through fake investment schemes rather than gambling products aimed at players in Cambodia¹. The report does not say whether any of the sealed casinos held valid licenses, whether they were operating as gambling venues at the time, or how the closures affect ordinary customers. Those details have not been reported.

For anyone gambling in Cambodia, the practical effect visible in the reporting is that specific premises have been shut temporarily and their operators or staff detained¹. The commission has not published a list of the sealed locations, so players cannot check from this report whether a particular casino, hotel or apartment building is among them. The nationalities of those arrested span at least twelve countries, including Cambodia itself¹.

What happens next

The suspects from both raids are being held for questioning and further investigation¹. The report gives no court dates, no timeline for how long the sealed premises will stay closed, and no indication of whether charges have been filed against any of those detained. None of those next steps has been reported.

For background on how scam operations work and how to report them, see Gambling Scams and Safety in Asia. For the legal position on casinos in the country, see Can I Gamble in Cambodia? and Can I Play at Online Casinos in Cambodia?. Casinos on the Thai border are covered in Poipet Casinos and Other Casinos on the Thai Border, and those on the Vietnam border in Bavet Casinos and Other Casinos on the Vietnam Border.