Scam Briefs: Online Gambling Banned Again, Bribery Detailed
Ouk Heisela, second from right, meets officials from the U.N. Office of Drugs and Crime, in a photo posted to the Cambodian immigration department's Facebook page in February 2024. Ouk Heisela has been arrested over allegedly taking money to protect scam operations.
In an article for Mekong Independent, Mech Dara writes about Cambodia’s second attempt at suspending online gambling in October 2026.
Seven years after Cambodia banned online gambling, Cambodia said it would suspend online gambling starting from next month.
“All kinds of online and arcade gambling … must end by the end of 2019,” the Council of Ministers said in a statement that year, according to the Khmer Times seven years ago. “Prime Minister Hun Sen said Cambodia’s development has to be based on nature and culture tourism, not online gambling.”
Seven years later, on September 6, Interior Minister Sar Sokha said in a speech that online gambling would be suspended.
“Our latest research found that online gambling is being livestreamed from casinos, and it is difficult for us to control the money involved. Therefore, starting in October, it will be suspended for the time being,” Sar Sokha said.
Casinos would have their licenses revoked and face legal action if they continued, he said.
Videos posted online following the announcement showed foreign workers leaving casino compounds in Sihanoukville with their suitcases. Online betting and online scams appear to have coexisted as part of criminal operations across the country linked to violence and human trafficking.
