Cambodia launched an anti-gambling crackdown on December 11th, following the expiration of a 7-day ultimatum set by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior.
The ultimatum called on groups promoting illegal gambling to cease their activities by Tuesday.
According to the Khmer Times, authorities at both national and sub-national levels will begin enforcement operations, including arrests and shutting down platforms promoting illegal gambling.
The Cambodian Ministry of Interior has also observed a rise in illegal gambling content being shared on social media and other media platforms. This includes images and videos promoting both in-person and online gambling, often shared by influencers and content creators. This content has caused confusion among the public and led to further sharing, undermining public order and safety.
To address this, the Ministry has called for an immediate halt to the production, sharing, and promotion of all illegal gambling content. It also emphasized the importance of local authorities taking strict measures to monitor and prevent the spread of such content.
Additionally, the Ministry has urged sub-national administrations to raise public awareness of the risks associated with illegal gambling as part of the “Safe Villages, Communes, and Sangkats” initiative. The ministry indicated that legal action will be taken against individuals who continue to engage in these illegal activities.
The crackdown targeting both online gambling and cyber scams comes in the wake of an agreement reached in October between Cambodia and China to bolster cooperation in tackling cross-border crime, particularly in the areas of online gambling and cyber fraud. This agreement was discussed during a meeting between Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet and China’s Premier Li Qiang in Laos.
As part of this joint effort to combat cross-border crime, over 1,200 suspects involved in online gambling and cybercrimes were repatriated in the first half of 2024. More recently, about two weeks ago, Chinese and Cambodian police deported 240 Chinese nationals implicated in gambling fraud and other illegal activities back to China via a chartered flight.
