Cambodia Casinos & Gambling. Cambodia is a kingdom in Asia with legal gambling for foreign visitors. Gambling in any form by citizens was outlawed in 1996 but the law is loosely enforced. The first license was granted to NagaWorld in 1994, which at that time occupied a boat on the Tonle Sap river in the country's capital of Phnom Penh. Cambodia Casinos & Gambling. Cambodia is a kingdom in Asia with legal gambling for foreign visitors. Gambling in any form by citizens was outlawed in 1996 but the law is loosely enforced. The first license was granted to NagaWorld in 1994, which at that time occupied a boat on the Tonle Sap river in the country's capital of Phnom Penh. A reliable online casino business starts with obtaining an online gambling license. It allows running a legal casino online and warrants the casino operator’s trustworthy behavior and commitment to a fair gaming policy. A license is also an indicator of transparency in business operations and security of the gaming software offered to customers. Online gaming is a booming field. In 2015, the country allowed casinos to offer online betting under the Cambodia Gambling License. One part of this move is the growing profit from sports betting in the country. Keep in mind that only foreign players inside the gaming hub can play. But most of these physical locations are loosely checked. Cambodia casino license Classic Slots- Have three reels and the follow the cambodia casino license retro arcade style machines. The marketing agencies of the internet casinos promise you ninety-eight percent payment and all of the normal excitement and spills that online casinos are so accomplished at to pull you in.
Legal Landscape
Cambodian gaming industry is a complicated affair. The market has far outgrown the outdated regulations that the country has been using for the last two decades. There are certainly gray areas and inadequate laws in dire need of revisions. The Law on the Suppression of Gambling introduced back in 1996 is still in effect, banning all gambling-related activities, but only for the residents of the country. Tourists, mostly from Thailand and Vietnam, can and do enjoy games of chance all throughout Cambodia in various land-based facilities.
However, the ban doesn't stop the locals from visiting the country's 75 brick and mortar casinos or seeking the services of foreign online operators in any way they can. Despite the threat of high fines and even imprisonment, Cambodians gamble often and seem to like betting on sports and blackjack best. The Government has recently started working on a new legislation which should address online gambling, as well as licensing and taxes in the sector.
Licenses for Domestic Companies Only
The current laws do not directly prohibit internet wagering; however, it is considered illegal anyway, since all other forms of gambling are strictly outlawed. In accordance with this, Cambodia doesn't have an official gaming commission or licensing system established, and restricts foreign online casinos entirely, so offshore companies cannot apply for permits here.
In 2015, only state-owned casinos were granted licenses to start offering online platforms for an annual fee of $10,000. But there is a catch: customers can only access internet games from within the physical premises. It is not entirely clear which conditions need to be fulfilled to get the permit, but it seems they negotiated on a case-to-case basis. What made the country invest into brick and mortar enterprises and gaming tourism are substantial income taxes and revenue generated by the industry.
Upcoming Gaming Bill
In 2014, Cambodia announced plans to draft a Gaming Law and establish a Gaming Management Committee to oversee and direct all activities on the market. With illegal wagering, gambling addiction and money laundering on the rise, the authorities admitted the need for a more efficient legal framework. The new legislation will cover taxation systems and revenue collection, management procedures and consumer protection. Emphasized is the goal to preserve and develop the Cambodian gaming and tourism industry until it becomes one of the main entertainment centers in East Asia.
The Gaming Law should be completed sometime in 2017, although nothing is certain for now. The authorities are currently studying online markets in other countries for input and ideas as to what should be done. What is certain is that the country has no intention of opening the borders to foreign operators anytime soon. Both online and land-based gambling will remain off-limits for the residents. What's more, even harsher measures will be implemented to clamp down on illegal wagering: a central computer server to monitor all transactions being one of them.
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]
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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]
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- ^Keo, Chenda; Broadhurst, Roderic; Bouhours, Tierry (2011). 'Inside the Cambodian Correctional System'(PDF). 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.