236 scam centers busted in Cambodia in last 8 months

Cambodian authorities closed 236 online scam locations and arrested 697 people over the eight months to the second week of March 2026, according to a report from the Secretariat of the Commission for Combatting Cybercrime cited by the Khmer Times¹. The figures cover a nationwide crackdown that began last year and ran into March 2026¹.

The 236 sites included 91 casinos and 145 borey, villa, condo and residential properties, the secretariat said¹. A Ministry of Justice report cited in the same statement said the courts handled 79 cases related to online fraud and convicted 697 individuals, and that more than 220,000 foreigners have been deported¹.

A separate account published on 3 April 2026 by Fresh News Asia gave higher figures. Chhay Sinarith, Senior Minister in Charge of Special Missions and head of the Secretariat of the Commission for Combating Online Scams, said authorities had cracked down on 250 online scam cases nationwide, equivalent to 250 locations, of which 92 are linked to casinos². He said more than 800 individuals had been detained, nearly 700 others were subject to arrest warrants and had been placed on immigration watchlists, and 93 suspects had been sent to court as of that morning². The two sets of figures have not been reconciled in either report.

Chhay Sinarith said closed locations would be sealed:

He also said a new law on combating technology-based fraud would help restore Cambodia's reputation and strengthen efforts against technology-based crime, and urged the public to report suspected scam activity². He said investigations were continuing, and that on 3 April 2026 officials and investigating judges from the Phnom Penh Municipal Court inspected a suspected scam location in Meun Chey district, Prey Veng province, with findings still pending².

Prime Minister Hun Manet has vowed to eradicate all cybercrime from Cambodia by April this year, saying Cambodia is not a place for cybercriminals and that anyone behind these activities will face the highest penalties without compromise¹.

What it means for players

The raids described are aimed at scam compounds and online fraud operations, not at licensed land-based casinos as such, though 91 or 92 of the locations closed were casinos¹. For anyone gambling in Cambodia, the practical effect is a heavier police and immigration presence around casino towns and around residential properties used as operating bases. The reports do not say which casinos or operators were affected, whether any licensed venues lost their licenses, or how the closures affect ordinary customers at legal establishments; none of that has been reported¹. People working in or recruited into the sector face the clearest risk: the figures include arrests, convictions, arrest warrants and immigration watchlists¹. Cambodia's rules on who may gamble and where are separate from this crackdown and are not changed by it¹.

What happens next

Hun Manet has set April as the target for eradicating cybercrime from Cambodia¹. Chhay Sinarith said the new law on combating technology-based fraud will play a key role in enforcement, that investigations are continuing, and that closed locations will be sealed². Findings from the 3 April inspection in Prey Veng province were still pending². No further dates have been reported.

For background on the sector, see Gambling Scams and Safety in Asia, Can I Gamble in Cambodia?, Fake Casino Sites and Gambling Scams in Cambodia and Can Foreigners Gamble in Cambodia?.