Cambodia to Suspend Casino-Based Online Gambling From October Amid Anti-Scam Crackdown

Cambodia is preparing to suspend online gambling operations conducted from land-based casinos nationwide from October 2026, marking another significant tightening of the country's gambling sector as the government intensifies its campaign against technology-enabled scams and suspicious financial flows.

Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sar Sokha said the decision came from Prime Minister Hun Manet and would apply to online gambling activities being operated or broadcast from casinos across the country.

The government intends to use the suspension period to strengthen the legal and regulatory framework, digital infrastructure and personnel needed to monitor the sector before considering a resumption. Casinos that continue the operations after the suspension takes effect could face license revocation and other legal action. 

Watch: Cambodia's latest online gambling crackdown

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Why Cambodia is suspending online gambling at casinos

The government's decision is closely tied to its wider campaign against online scams and illicit financial activity. Authorities have identified difficulties in monitoring financial flows associated with online gambling broadcast from casino premises. Sar Sokha said the volume and nature of these transactions can make it harder to identify funds with unclear origins and tackle technology-enabled crime.  

The suspension is therefore being presented not simply as a restriction on gambling, but as part of a broader effort to strengthen oversight of activities taking place within and around casino properties.

Under the planned approach, online gambling operations will only be considered for resumption once the necessary management systems and safeguards have been established. The government has not indicated how long the suspension will last.  This means October is expected to mark the beginning of a regulatory transition rather than a defined end date for the restrictions.

Cambodia has already tightened its online gambling policy

The October measure is not Cambodia's first move against online gambling. Cambodia stopped issuing new licenses to purely online gambling businesses in 2019 and subsequently moved toward preventing the continuation of existing online operations as their licenses expired.  

The latest decision is more specifically focused on online betting and gambling activity connected to land-based casinos, including operations broadcast live from casino premises.

That distinction is important because the government is not announcing a completely new nationwide prohibition on online gambling. Instead, it is targeting online gambling activity that remains connected to physical casino locations while authorities develop a more comprehensive system for managing such operations.  

Casino license renewals also face tougher scrutiny

The online gambling suspension comes alongside another regulatory development affecting Cambodia's land-based casino industry. The Commercial Gambling Management Commission of Cambodia (CGMC) is working on an “integrity and quality” evaluation framework that would introduce suitability screening for casino license renewals.

The proposed framework is intended to establish minimum conditions operators must satisfy to maintain or obtain a casino license. However, the CGMC has not yet published the scoring criteria or confirmed when the framework will formally take effect.  The two developments point toward a broader shift in Cambodia's casino regulation: operators are facing greater scrutiny not only over how they conduct gambling activities, but also over their suitability to continue holding licenses. The timing also coincides with Cambodia's broader campaign against casino-linked scam activity.

Anti-scam operations have already affected casinos

Cambodian authorities have been carrying out extensive inspections and enforcement operations against suspected technology-enabled fraud.

According to figures reported in connection with the government's latest announcement, authorities conducted operations at hundreds of suspected locations between July 2025 and August 31, 2026. The crackdown included action involving casinos and scam compounds, with authorities reporting tens of thousands of suspects detained and thousands of foreign nationals rescued and repatriated. 

The government has also taken regulatory action against casinos.

AGB reported that legal measures had been taken against 27 casinos, with 18 licenses revoked and nine suspended during the broader crackdown. 

iGamingBusiness separately reported that authorities had inspected 195 licensed casinos, resulting in 20 license revocations and 29 suspensions, alongside licenses that had naturally expired. (Source: iGB)

These figures come from different reporting periods and government summaries, so they should not be treated as directly interchangeable. Together, however, they illustrate the scale of the enforcement campaign surrounding Cambodia's casino sector.

What the October suspension could mean for casino operators

For casinos currently supporting online gambling operations, the October suspension creates an immediate compliance issue.

Operators will need to determine which activities fall within the government's restriction and ensure that affected operations cease when the measure takes effect.

The consequences for non-compliance could be severe. Sar Sokha has warned that casinos continuing prohibited online gambling operations could have their licenses revoked and face additional legal action. At the same time, the government's decision to develop new regulatory and monitoring systems suggests that the policy may not necessarily represent a permanent end to every form of casino-linked online gambling.

Instead, Cambodia appears to be using the suspension to establish tighter controls before deciding whether and under what conditions such activity can return.

Cambodia's casino regulation is entering a stricter phase

The combination of the October online gambling suspension and the proposed casino license renewal framework suggests Cambodia is moving toward a more intensive regulatory model for its casino industry.

The government is simultaneously scrutinising who can retain a casino license, how casino-linked online gambling operates, how financial flows can be monitored and whether casino properties are being exploited by criminal networks.

For operators, that could mean greater emphasis on compliance systems, financial monitoring and demonstrating operational integrity as a condition of remaining in the market.

What comes next for Cambodia's casino industry

The immediate deadline is October 2026, when the suspension of online gambling operations linked to land-based casinos is expected to begin.

The more consequential question is what Cambodia's new regulatory framework will look like after the suspension.

Authorities have indicated that online gambling could resume once stronger legal rules, digital monitoring infrastructure and qualified personnel are in place. But no timetable for a potential restart has been announced.

Meanwhile, the proposed casino license renewal framework could add another layer of scrutiny for operators seeking to remain in the market.

Cambodia's casino industry is therefore facing not just a temporary suspension, but a broader regulatory reset shaped by the government's campaign against scams, illicit finance and criminal activity linked to gambling operations.

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Sources

• iGamingBusiness

• GGRAsia

• Focus Gaming News