Cambodian Gambling Remains a Concern
Officials worry that Cambodia is losing millions of dollars in lost time and wages at many betting sites. (23 December 2008)
Civic groups in Cambodia working in social development areurging the authorities to immediately close gambling facilities, which aretaking away the daily incomes of simple people and high-ranking officialsalike. Seng Theary, executive director of the Center for SocialDevelopment, called gambling a social virus that leads to theft, domesticviolence and increased poverty. “I suggest the authorities close down the gambling sites, aswe have already seen that gambling is like a dangerous disease, in the familyand in society,” she said. Cambodia has an estimated 30 to 50 large casinos and up to100 smaller sites, most of them set up in hotels, night clubs, bars and discosin Phnom Penh. These operate along with sports gambling facilities, kickboxingmatches and lotteries. Cambodia loses millions of dollars a year to gambling, whilepeople spend time betting instead of working and overall production and theeconomy suffers, said Son Chhay, parliamentarian for the opposition Sam RainsyParty. “It is such a waste of time,” he said. “Our country is animpoverished country, so we need labor to produce.” Phnom Penh Police Chief Touch Naroth said sports betting waspermitted, but there is only one casino in Phnom Penh, Naga, which doesn’tallow Cambodians inside. “Besides Naga casino, there are only slot machines in thehotels,” he said. “These are only electronic machines.” Hun Sen has meanwhile ordered a crackdown on slot machinesand a ban on gambling by Cambodians, an order local authorities are following. However, Son Chhay urged the closing of all gamblingestablishments, including sports betting. Foreign companies are collecting hundreds of millions ofdollars from Cambodia, he said, adding that the companies bribe high-rankingpolice and military officials to protect their businesses.