Cambodia Casino Gamble
- In Cambodia, casinos are licensed to operate in order to attract foreign tourists, and locals are not permitted to gamble there. A total of 193 casinos are currently licensed to operate in the.
- Cambodia Casinos and Gambling in Summary Although while gambling is illegal for Cambodian citizens there are reports of local denizens swarming casinos on the evening security shift change. Vietnamese are not allowed to gamble in their own country so many come to Cambodia at convenient crossings to find their games.
- Gambling is illegal in mainland China. But insiders say many are violating this law by betting online through Cambodian casinos. At WM Casino, rows of young women deal cards for livestream.
The prohibition on gambling, which also extends to all forms of online gambling, only applies to Cambodian citizens.As of October 2015, there were 75 casinos catering to foreign tourists operating within Cambodia, providing an estimated US$29 million in revenue to the national government in the first nine months of the year and $2 billion in income for the casinos. A Chinese casino empire to rival Macau is investing big in Cambodia, transforming a once-sleepy seaside town into a hub for gangsters and shady operators. Money is pouring into Sihanoukville, as thousands of workers labour day and night, building soaring skyscrapers at break-neck speed.
Gambling in Cambodia is officially illegal under the 1996 Law on Suppression of Gambling, which outlawed all unauthorized forms of gambling and provided for penalties ranging from monetary fines to short prison sentences, although the Cambodian government's General Department of Prisons does not list gambling as one of the 28 offenses punishable by imprisonment.[1]
The prohibition on gambling, which also extends to all forms of online gambling, only applies to Cambodian citizens. As of October 2015, there were 75 casinos catering to foreign tourists operating within Cambodia, providing an estimated US$29 million in revenue to the national government in the first nine months of the year and $2 billion in income for the casinos. Cambodian citizens are allowed to gamble through government sponsored gaming including five separate privately run national lotteries.[2] Cambodians were also previously permitted to play the slot machines located in the nation's casinos, however due to complaints of violence related to gambling debts and widespread problem gambling, slot machines were banned in 2009.[3]
Gambling as a popular pastime is ingrained in Southeast Asian culture in general and Cambodian culture in particular. Men who don't gamble are often viewed as not masculine.[4] Consequently, despite the laws against citizens gambling, illegal gambling is widespread in Cambodia. The police forces in Cambodia, ruled by one of the most corrupt governments in the world,[5] often look the other way as casinos freely allow locals to enter and provide private rooms for government and law enforcement officials, who oftentimes have a vested financial interest in the casinos, to conduct illegal gambling.[6] Extralegal activities are also widespread outside of the permitted casinos ranging from cockfights and card rooms to sports book (primarily regional football matches and kickboxing) and unauthorized lotteries. Most of these activities are controlled by organized crime and protected by bribes to law enforcement.[7]
A number of societal issues plague Cambodia as a result of gambling, most notably gambling addiction.
Casino industry[edit]
Gambling is illegal in all of the countries sharing borders with Cambodia. Communist governments in Vietnam and Laos ban gambling and the strict Buddhist cultures of Thailand and Myanmar also prohibit gaming.[3] Beginning in the late 1990s, Cambodia has been building a casino industry to capitalize on this, constructing casinos in border towns and popular resort areas and enticing foreign gamblers while officially prohibiting its own citizens from entering. In border towns such as Poipet, O Smach and Bavet there are 'casino strips' between border checkpoints so that foreign nationals may cross the border to gamble then return home without officially passing through the Cambodian checkpoint, thereby eliminating the need for visas. In popular tourist resort areas, such as Koh Kong and Sihanoukville, casinos are open to anybody with a foreign passport and the largest casino in the country, Phnom Penh's Naga Casino, which has exclusive gaming rights within a 200 kilometer radius of the capital, has plans to operate a charter service to fly in wealthy customers from China.[3]
Cambodia's casino industry continues to grow. In 2011 US$20 million in tax revenue was generated.[6] In 2014, 57 casinos provided an estimated $25 million in revenue to the national government,[3] while in the first nine months of 2015, 75 casinos, with ten new establishments licensed in the third quarter alone, were responsible for $29 million in government revenue and $2 billion in income for casino owners, most of which are foreign investment companies.[8]
Social issues[edit]
Cambodians often cite an old Khmer proverb lbaeng taeng vineah (Khmer: ល្បែងតែងវិនាស), 'Gambling always destroys (life)',[4] which reflects the variety of social problems revolving around gambling from which Cambodia suffers, including crime related to illegal gambling and repayment of debts, domestic disputes and, destructive gambling addiction which is a huge problem in Cambodia.[9][10] Despite the official prohibition on citizens partaking in any form of unauthorized gaming, gambling is a significant part of Cambodian culture. Gambling, usually in the form of card or dice games, is traditionally only socially acceptable during the weeks surrounding New Year celebrations. However, gambling continues year-round at every opportunity, in underground card houses, lotteries (both legal and illegal), sports book, online gaming, through unlawful entry into the casinos or even impromptu games on work breaks; there is even a game called chak teuk phliang in which Cambodians will bet, sometimes up to US$1000, on when and how much it will rain.[9][4][10]
A foreign passport is required to enter a casino in Cambodia, providing a loophole that allows the many urban Cambodians with dual citizenship to legally gamble. The rural population and those that can't produce a foreign ID must bribe the local police to gain entry to legitimate casinos. Gamblers leaving casinos or other, less formal, illicit gaming venues have reported being forced to give up to two-thirds of their daily winnings to police in order to avoid arrest when caught.[10]
There are little to no psychological services available to those addicted. Among Cambodian men, gambling, along with drinking and other such vices, is seen as a symbol conveying masculinity.[4] Cambodian society has traditionally viewed problem gambling as a social problem rather than a medical problem, consequently, very few seek treatment from medical professionals. As of 2012, the nationwide treatment program, Transcultural Psychological Organisation, reported treating patients for disorders such as depression and drug addiction but had not treated a single patient for gambling addiction.[9]
References[edit]
- ^Keo, Chenda; Broadhurst, Roderic; Bouhours, Tierry (2011). 'Inside the Cambodian Correctional System'. British Journal of Community Justice. 8 (3). Retrieved 14 October 2015.
- ^Hor, Kimsay (22 January 2015). 'Lottery firm hopes that second bet is a charm'. The Phnom Penh Post. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
- ^ abcd'Casinos in Cambodia: When the luck runs out'. The Economist. 23 October 2014. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
- ^ abcdSynoda, Sokhan (2015). LIFE OUTSIDE OF THE HOME INTERROGATING MEN'S UNDERSTANDING OF THEIR ROLES IN CAMBODIA. University of Wellington.
- ^Cuddy, Alice (2 June 2015). 'Rule of law rank near bottom'. The Phnom Penh Post. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
Cambodia has again scored dismally in an annual index released today ranking the rule of law in 102 countries, placing 99th overall and the worst in the region.
- ^ abNorodom, Princess Soma (17 August 2015). 'Gambling a losing game'. The Phnom Penh Post. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
- ^Ayuthya, Den (5 July 2015). 'Provincial Police Chief Orders Crackdown on Illegal Gambling in Southwest Cambodia'. Radio Free Asia. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
- ^May, Kunmakara (1 October 2015). 'Ten More Casino Licenses Granted'. Khmer Times. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
- ^ abcWill, Rachel (5 October 2012). 'Scant options for gambling addicts'. The Phnom Penh Post. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
- ^ abc'CAMBODIA: Gambling fuels poverty'. IRIN Humanitarian News and Analysis. 2 September 2008. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
External links[edit]
Cambodia's Casino Gamble
When casino owner Kang Qiang (pictured below) looks out the window of his 20th floor office in this city on the remote Cambodian coast, he sees construction cranes sitting idle.
The Chinese-funded gambling enclave of Sihanoukville has suffered a double blow. Travel restrictions imposed in recent weeks to slow the global coronavirus pandemic have deepened the effects of a ban last year on lucrative online gambling.
Before: A Cambodian worker stands on a construction site in Chinatown in 2019.
After: The same location in 2020.
Story
Cambodia Casino Gamble
As Chinese money has swept across Southeast Asia, Cambodia has become one of the most visible examples of the investment, with authoritarian Prime Minister Hun Sen doing all he can to strengthen ties to Beijing.
In Sihanoukville, most of the money has been private, and the biggest share has gone into some 70 casinos - all of which are being ordered to shut from April 1 as a temporary measure to help slow the spread of coronavirus.
Before: A group of Chinese men enjoy an afternoon on Ochheuteal beach in 2019.
After: The same beach is empty in the afternoon in 2020.
Story
'The growth was just phenomenal, too fast!' says Transport Minister Sun Chanthol. 'Now things are slowing down so it's a good opportunity for us to catch up.'
The expatriates' confidence is buoyed by China's apparent success in fighting the coronavirus pandemic. As cases skyrocket elsewhere in the world, zero local transmissions have been reported on some days in China, where the virus originated.
'They got it under control,' says Bob Zhao, an earnest 28-year-old from Shandong who came to Sihanoukville seeking his fortune and found it as a sales consultant for a Chinese property developer.
'In China there are so many competitors. They've been to good schools, have good social experience. They are better than you. And the pay is low,' he says. 'The opportunity here is better.'
Before: Construction workers move cement blocks in Chinatown in 2019.
After: New buildings stand in the same location in 2020.
Story
Casino manager Yin has been making 'at least double' what he would in China by working in Sihanoukville, but he acknowledges the flood of Chinese money has led to surging prices and the growing piles of rubbish.
Still, he says the Chinese money has sparked the economy in what he sees as a forgotten country.
'It seems like other countries are not interested in Cambodia, like America and Europe,' he says. 'China is interested.'
How Many Casinos Are In Cambodia
Kang, the casino owner, is from Guangzhou, one of China's biggest and most-developed cities. But he is convinced his future is on the dusty streets of Sihanoukville despite his casino losing money since November.
Poipet Cambodia Casino
'Persistence means victory,' he says.