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Review follows ban on online gaming and suspension of 73 casino licences
Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet has unequivocally said there will be no casino licences issued in the province of Siem Reap whilst also ordering a complete review of Cambodia’s more than 100 existing casino licences.
Prime Minister Hun Manet welcomed hotel developments and other leisure activities. He said: “Just as under former Prime Minister Hun Sen, under the new government that I lead, there will absolutely be no casino licences in Siem Reap. Let me make it clear: there will be none. Please do not request one.”
“If it [the tourism economy in Siem Reap] collapses because there are no casinos, let it collapse. We will take responsibility because this is a heritage province,” he added. “As for online gambling and other betting activities, we have already suspended them. From the beginning of October, there will be none.”
The Prime Minister also highlighted that the government would review the country’s casino sector, debating whether 100 casinos were too many.
“I am having our more than 100 casinos reviewed. Is it necessary to have so many? The conditions have now been increased. Investment must be at least $100m,” he explained. “In the past, the requirements were lower, even a shophouse could become a casino, but not anymore. There must be adequate infrastructure, because the original concept was not to have casinos simply for the sake of having casinos.”
A report from the Secretariat of the Ad Hoc Commission for Combating Online Scams, said the authorities have taken action against 751 suspected scam locations and have shut down 605 locations between July 2025 and July 31, 2026. As part of this, the authorities have inspected all 195 licensed casinos throughout Cambodia, with 123 found to have no evidence of involvement in online scam activities, while the other 72 had their licences suspended.
Image by By 首相官邸ホームページ, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=169742931
