Cambodia Releases One-Year Report on Online Scam Crackdown Targeting Licensed Casinos

The Cambodian government has issued its one-year report covering the period from June 2025 through June 2026 on efforts to curb online scam activity, and the document outlines a nationwide inspection of all 195 licensed casinos that uncovered involvement in fraud at 72 of those properties. Senior Minister Chhay Sinarith presented the findings during a July 24 Cabinet meeting where Prime Minister Hun Manet received the update on enforcement actions taken across the sector.

Inspectors determined that 72 casinos had participated in online fraud schemes, prompting immediate regulatory responses that included the revocation of 19 licenses along with the suspension of 30 others. An additional 23 casinos stopped operations once their licenses reached expiry, and these outcomes formed the core of the report's summary on casino-level interventions.

Scope of the Nationwide Casino Review

Authorities conducted systematic checks at every licensed casino in the country, and the process revealed patterns of online fraud that extended beyond isolated incidents at individual sites. The inspection covered operations tied to scam centers that used casino premises as fronts, while data collected during the review showed direct links between certain license holders and coordinated fraudulent activities. Observers note that the scale of the review required coordination across multiple agencies, and results indicated that nearly 37 percent of all licensed casinos required some form of corrective action.

Those 72 properties faced graduated penalties based on the severity of their involvement, and the combination of revocations, suspensions, and natural license expirations reduced the number of active operators engaged in questionable practices. The report submitted by Senior Minister Chhay Sinarith details how these measures were implemented progressively throughout the twelve-month period, and it highlights the role of routine compliance audits in identifying violations early.

Raids, Deportations, and Enforcement Actions

Beyond the casino inspections, the crackdown included raids on 737 separate scam centers, and these operations resulted in more than 21,100 deportations of individuals connected to fraudulent schemes. Enforcement teams worked across multiple provinces to dismantle physical locations used for online scams, and the report connects many of those centers directly to the casinos that lost their licenses. Data from the period shows a steady increase in raid frequency as intelligence sharing improved between local and national units.

Deportation numbers reflect coordinated removals of foreign nationals who had been recruited or involved in running the centers, and authorities maintained records that tracked each case through the judicial system. The report notes that these removals occurred alongside asset seizures and account freezes that disrupted financial flows supporting the scams. People involved in the operations often faced charges under existing cybercrime and fraud statutes, and the cumulative effect contributed to a measurable drop in active scam infrastructure by the end of the reporting period.

International Cooperation and Cabinet Presentation

The report emphasizes strengthened partnerships with neighboring countries and international agencies, and these collaborations facilitated cross-border intelligence exchanges that supported both the casino inspections and the raid operations. Prime Minister Hun Manet praised the inter-agency efforts during the July 24 Cabinet meeting, and the document credits diplomatic channels for accelerating deportations and evidence sharing. Officials documented joint training sessions and information platforms that allowed real-time updates on emerging scam networks.

Those partnerships extended to financial regulators abroad, and the report describes how transaction monitoring improved as a result of shared data protocols. The one-year review period ending in June 2026 provided enough time for authorities to assess which cooperative measures produced the strongest results, and the findings now inform planning for subsequent enforcement phases.

Conclusion

The comprehensive report delivered to the Cabinet on July 24 captures the full extent of actions taken against online scam operations tied to licensed casinos, and it records the revocation of 19 licenses, the suspension of 30 others, and the closure of 23 additional properties through expiry. With 737 raid targets hit and more than 21,100 deportations completed, the document also notes ongoing international cooperation that continues to shape Cambodia's regulatory landscape. The findings stand as a factual record of enforcement outcomes achieved between June 2025 and June 2026.