Cambodia has taken another casino licence off the market as authorities widen action against gambling venues tied to online scam networks.
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Online fraud, not casino floor activity, drove the latest regulatory action in Bavet. The Commercial Gambling Management Commission cancelled the licence held by Radiant Pearl Investment Ltd after investigators reviewed devices seized during a May 21 operation at Roxy Hotel & Casino.
The case now goes beyond a single licence file. Cambodia has already shut 91 casinos accused of links to online scam activity, while raids have targeted more than 250 scam centres nationwide over nine months, according to Chinese news agency Xinhua.
Bavet, near the Vietnam border, remains one of the country key casino zones. That location makes any enforcement action there more sensitive, especially as Cambodia faces outside pressure over scam compounds, trafficking claims, and criminal groups using licensed or semi licensed premises.
The latest action also gives the regulator another public test. Casino operators now need to show that their premises, tenants, bank routes, surveillance systems, and connected businesses do not support cyber fraud.
The May 21 inspection involved provincial and municipal authorities together with the Commission for Combating Online Scams. Officers detained 25 Chinese nationals suspected of criminal activity and seized mobile phones, computers, vehicles, and digital video recorder equipment used for surveillance systems.
Investigators later examined the seized electronics and concluded that the property had links to online fraud activity, according to The Phnom Penh Post.
The CGMC has also asked the Cambodia Financial Intelligence Unit for bank account information tied to company owners and people previously registered as licence holders. Prosecutors at Svay Rieng Provincial Court will receive that material for further legal action.
Human rights groups have also kept attention on Cambodia casino linked scam networks. Amnesty International reported in April that several casino complexes had connections to sites where trafficking, forced labour, and other abuses took place. Cambodian authorities have pointed to raids, arrests, licence actions, and deportations as evidence of enforcement.
Also in April, Cambodia ordered 91 casinos to close as officials target online scam networks, illegal gambling activity, and foreign-linked fraud groups.