Cambodia investigates 195 casinos in online scam crackdown
Authorities revoked 20 casino licences and suspended 29 others as part of a nationwide campaign against technology-enabled criminal networks.
Cambodia.- According to a report by Cambodia’s state news agency Agence Kampuchea Presse (AKP), authorities investigated 195 licensed casinos between July 2025 and July 31, 2026, as part of the country’s campaign against online scam operations. The investigation resulted in the revocation of 20 casino licences and the suspension of a further 29 licences. Another 23 casinos had their licences expire and subsequently ceased operations, the report said.
The measures form part of a broader government campaign targeting scam centres and the criminal networks behind them. Authorities operated against 751 suspected scam locations during the period and shut down 605 of them. Cambodian authorities also rescued and processed for repatriation 21,666 foreign nationals from 38 nationalities between July 2025 and July 2026. The majority came from China, Vietnam, Pakistan, Indonesia, Bangladesh and India.
Authorities prepared 388 cases involving 4,147 suspects from 27 nationalities for prosecution during the same period, including alleged ringleaders and accomplices.
Investigations by the Anti-Cyber Crime Department found that scam centres typically operate through structured networks involving senior managers and team leaders who assign targets, supervise workers and collect victims’ information. According to the AKP report, several high-level suspects have been arrested and extradited to China for prosecution.
The authorities said the cases demonstrate a shift from targeting lower-level workers at scam centres to dismantling the criminal structures responsible for organising and financing the operations. The promulgation of the Law on Combating Technology-enabled Scams in April 2026 introduced new penalties for masterminds and organisers of online scam networks whose activities result in torture, unlawful confinement or death, including life imprisonment and fines of up to 1 billion riel (approximately US$250,000). The law also distinguishes between criminal operators and people who were forced or trafficked into working at scam centres, providing protection to those identified as victims.
Cambodia is also seeking to expand international cooperation against transnational online scams through information sharing, technical expertise and law enforcement capacity building. The country will host the International Conference on Combating Online Scams in Phnom Penh from September 23-24, 2026, under the theme “Together Towards Disrupting the Chain and Ending Online Scams”.
More than 30 countries and international organisations are expected to participate. India, Indonesia, the United States and China have expressed support for the conference, with representatives expected to share their experiences in combating technology-related crime.
