Cambodia is preparing stricter standards for casino licence renewals as authorities intensify efforts to separate the regulated gambling industry from cyber-fraud networks and other illicit activity.
The Commercial Gambling Management Commission of Cambodia (CGMC) is developing a new framework that will assess the integrity and operational quality of casino businesses before licences are issued or renewed. The regulator discussed the proposed system during a meeting on 4 September chaired by CGMC Secretary General Yeth Vinel.
The framework is intended to establish minimum suitability requirements based on Cambodia’s gambling laws and existing regulatory rules. However, the CGMC has not yet published the individual assessment criteria, scoring process or a date for the system to take effect.
Casino sector faces increased scrutiny
The licensing reform comes during a broad government crackdown on online scam operations, some of which have been found operating from licensed casino properties.
Cambodian authorities investigated 195 licensed casinos during a nationwide enforcement campaign running from July 2025 to the end of July 2026. According to the state-run Agence Kampuchea Presse, 20 casino licences were revoked and another 29 were suspended because of links to cyber-fraud activity. A further 23 licences expired or the relevant casinos stopped operating.
The wider operation covered 751 suspected scam locations, with authorities reporting that 605 sites were closed. Officials also said more than 21,600 foreign nationals from 38 countries were rescued or processed for repatriation, while 4,147 suspects from 27 nationalities were charged through 388 criminal cases.
Individual casino enforcement actions have continued throughout 2026. In April, the CGMC revoked the licence of Shang Hai Resort in Svay Rieng after investigators found suspected online scam activity and detained 107 foreign nationals at the property. In May, authorities also withdrew the licence of Ying Huan Casino in Preah Sihanouk following an investigation involving alleged online fraud, firearms, narcotics and money laundering.
Cambodia pushes wider anti-scam strategy
The regulatory measures form part of Cambodia’s attempt to address international concerns over large-scale scam compounds operating within the country.
Authorities said in August that major scam compounds had been dismantled, although independent experts and human rights organisations have questioned whether criminal networks have been permanently eliminated. Reuters reported that some operations appear to have moved into smaller and less visible locations as enforcement increased.
Amnesty International has also linked a number of Cambodian casino complexes to locations where alleged human trafficking, forced labour and other serious abuses connected to scam operations took place.
The government’s campaign is also having economic consequences. Cambodia lowered its official 2026 growth forecast from 5% to 4.2% earlier this year, with the anti-scam drive among the pressures affecting construction, real estate and domestic consumption. The IMF subsequently projected growth of about 3% for 2026 and said reputational damage associated with scam activity was weighing on tourism and financial stability.
Phnom Penh will host the International Conference on Combating Online Scams on 23-24 September. The event will bring together governments, law-enforcement agencies, financial institutions, technology companies and international organisations to discuss ways to disrupt cross-border scam networks.
For casino operators, the next major development will be publication of the CGMC’s final integrity and quality requirements. Until then, businesses face a regulatory environment in which licence renewal is increasingly tied to stronger scrutiny of ownership, compliance and connections to illicit activity.