Cambodia Shuts 72 Casinos As Year-Long Scam Crackdown Widens

Authorities in Cambodia have closed 72 casinos following a year-long nationwide crackdown on online scam centres and related criminal activity, according to reports citing a government press release and a separate internal document. The closures came after inspections across the country’s licensed casino sector and form part of broader efforts to tackle telecom and online fraud.

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Inspections Across 195 Licensed Casinos

China’s state-owned news agency Xinhua reported that investigations carried out in 195 licensed casinos in Cambodia revealed that 72 casino businesses were operating illegally through Internet scams. On its part, the Chinese language newspaper called “Cambodia-China Times” also stated that after those investigations, 72 casino businesses have shut down their businesses.

According to the government statement quoted by Xinhua, from June 2025 to June of this year, Cambodian officials have conducted raids on 737 illegal online scam businesses in different locations. This raid included investigations in 28,512 places.

A report on the crackdown, which the Cambodia-China Times said it had obtained, provided more detail on the casino closures. It said that of the 72 casinos that stopped operating, 19 had their licenses revoked over alleged involvement in online fraud, 30 had their licenses suspended, and 23 ceased operations because their licenses expired.

Scam Sites Targeted And Locations Shut

The local outlet also reported that in the roughly 12 months to June 30, authorities investigated 665 locations suspected of online fraud. Of those, 582 were described as alleged sites of criminal activity, and 83 were identified as suspected hideouts for criminals.

Following the enforcement action, 537 locations had been shut down. The figures underline the breadth of the campaign and its focus on both operational hubs and places used to conceal individuals linked to scam networks.

Xinhua’s report added that as of June 30, 2026, a total of 21,102 foreigners from 38 nationalities had been deported from Cambodia. The statement appeared to connect those deportations to the crackdown on online scams and related fraud activity.

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Law-enforcement officials also referred 268 cases to the court system involving 2,773 suspects. The numbers show that the operation has moved beyond administrative closures and deportations into formal prosecution channels.

Regulator Plans Casino Evaluations

The enforcement drive has run alongside regulatory work on the casino sector. Earlier this month, officials from the Commercial Gambling Management Commission of Cambodia discussed preparations for nationwide casino evaluations aimed at ensuring compliance with regulatory standards, according to the Khmer Times.

The meeting also covered the regulator’s priorities for the second half of the year. The planned evaluations suggest that the recent closures may be followed by broader checks across the remaining licensed venues.

The discussion signals a regulatory push to tighten oversight at a time when casino-linked scam operations have come under increasing international scrutiny.

Context From Regional Money Laundering Report

A recent report from the Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering said cyber scam hubs in Southeast Asia partly grew out of the collapse of parts of the gambling industry in the region during the Covid-19 era. The report linked that collapse to travel restrictions that began in early 2020.

According to that assessment, the downturn in traditional gaming operations helped create space for compounds and other sites that later became centres for online scam activity. The Cambodian crackdown outlined in the latest reports appears to be one response to that shift, focusing on both casinos and non-casino sites tied to fraud.

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Source: GGR Asia