The General Secretariat of the Commercial Gambling Management Commission of Cambodia (CGMC) convened a meeting with the legal council of Cambodia's Ministry of Economy and Finance to review a draft "Law on the Suppression of Illegal Gambling," according to a CGMC statement issued after the meeting. The discussion took place on October 141.
The review focused on "provisions concerning the management and regulation of the commercial gambling sector, aiming to ensure consistency with the Law on the Management of Commercial Gambling and other applicable regulatory instruments," the CGMC said1.
"Last week, the CGMC general secretariat convened a meeting with the legal council of Cambodia's Ministry of Economy and Finance, to review a draft of a 'Law on the Suppression of Illegal Gambling'."
The draft law review is separate from a second CGMC meeting, held on Monday October 19, that covered revenue collection. That meeting was organized by the CGMC general secretariat and involved representatives from the regulator and from taxation departments1. The talks covered development of an information technology system for managing the collection of gambling-duty revenues and the revenues of the regulator1.
"In particular, it focused on establishing an online payment system aimed at strengthening the efficiency of revenue management in the commercial gambling industry."
The Cambodian government has signaled its intention to tighten oversight of the gaming sector and review licensing standards1. Cambodian authorities have also been reviewing casino operations as part of a wider nationwide campaign against online scams, including investigations into gaming establishments suspected of hosting unauthorized activities1.
The CGMC has not published the text of the draft law, and no date has been reported for when it might be passed, issued or take effect. The specific penalties the draft would carry, and which conduct it would cover beyond the existing Gambling Laws in Cambodia, have not been reported.
What it means for players
The draft law is aimed at illegal gambling, meaning operations outside the commercial gambling framework Cambodia already regulates under the Law on the Management of Commercial Gambling1. Nothing in the CGMC statements changes the rules that apply today to licensed casinos or to players using them.
For locals, expats and visitors, the practical effect depends on what the draft eventually says, and that text has not been published. Cambodia's regulated casino sector operates under existing licensing and duty rules; the October 19 meeting concerned how those duties are collected, including a proposed online payment system, not the amounts owed by players1.
The parallel review of casino premises under the nationwide anti-scam campaign is a separate track from the draft law1. Cambodia's Gambling Laws in Cambodia guide covers the current licensing framework, and the regional Gambling Laws in Asia guide covers how neighbors treat illegal play, including Penalties for Illegal Gambling in Asia and the Legal Gambling Age in Asia.
What happens next
No timeline has been reported for the draft Law on the Suppression of Illegal Gambling. The CGMC has not said when the draft will be finalized, submitted for approval or published. The revenue management talks, including the proposed online payment system, also have no reported implementation date1.
