Cambodia Launches Sweeping Casino Inspections Amid Broader Anti-Scam Initiative

Cambodia’s government carried out inspections across all 195 licensed casinos between June 2025 and June 2026 as part of an ongoing effort to address online scam operations, and the results came back through a detailed report that Senior Minister Chhay Sinarith presented at the July 24 Cabinet meeting.

The review uncovered direct connections between 72 casinos and fraudulent online activities, which triggered immediate regulatory responses including the revocation of 19 licenses, suspension of 30 others, and the natural expiration of 23 additional licenses that led operators to shut down without renewal.

Scope of the One-Year Inspection Program

Authorities examined every licensed casino in the country during this period, and the findings highlighted how certain facilities had become linked to scam networks that operate across digital platforms; this systematic approach allowed officials to map out patterns of involvement rather than relying on isolated complaints or tips.

Data collected during the inspections showed that these 72 locations had facilitated activities tied to online fraud, prompting the government to take decisive licensing actions that reduced the total number of active operators by a significant margin.

Regulatory Outcomes and Enforcement Actions

Of the identified casinos, 19 lost their licenses outright through revocation, while another 30 faced temporary suspensions that halted operations until further review, and the remaining 23 simply ceased activities once their existing permits expired without extension.

Alongside the casino-focused work, enforcement teams conducted raids on 737 separate scam centers during the same timeframe, which resulted in the deportation of more than 21,100 individuals connected to those operations.

Report Presentation to Cabinet Leadership

Senior Minister Chhay Sinarith submitted the comprehensive findings to the July 24 Cabinet meeting, where Prime Minister Hun Manet reviewed the outcomes and noted the progress achieved through this coordinated national effort; the document outlined both the inspection methodology and the specific enforcement steps taken against non-compliant operators.

Those who studied the report observed that the combination of license actions and physical raids created a dual-track strategy aimed at disrupting both the physical infrastructure and the digital components of scam networks operating within the casino sector.

Broader Context of the Crackdown Timeline

The one-year inspection window ran from June 2025 through June 2026, and it formed part of a larger initiative that integrated casino oversight with targeted operations against scam centers across multiple provinces; this timeline allowed regulators to gather consistent data before presenting unified results to senior leadership.

Figures from the report indicate that the 195 licensed casinos represented the complete regulatory baseline at the start of the program, which made the identification of 72 problematic sites a clear indicator of the scale involved in the enforcement push.

Conclusion

The July 24 Cabinet presentation marked the formal close of the inspection phase, with the documented actions on licenses, raids, and deportations providing a record of what authorities achieved during this specific period of regulatory activity.