China Collaborates with Cambodia to Combat Online Gambling

Chinese authorities have entered into a series of partnership agreements with Cambodian authorities in the fight against shadow gambling business. This was announced by the head of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wang Yi, during a meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cambodia, Sok Chenda Sopheak. The official emphasized that the cooperation is aimed at the “complete eradication” of criminal groups in the entertainment and gambling industry.

Previously, China, Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos joined forces to create a cooperation center for conducting operations against illegal casinos and gambling-related fraud.

Cambodia, an economically backward country where a large portion of the population lives below the poverty line, nevertheless has a thriving gaming industry. The country’s citizens are not allowed to visit casinos; the gambling business is exclusively targeted at foreign tourists, many of whom come to the country specifically for gambling.

As of October 2015, Cambodia had 75 casinos, most of them of premium class. Due to the low standard of living and a large number of “gambling” tourists, Cambodia has many illegal casinos where the country’s citizens also gamble. The police are inactive due to the high level of corruption; bribes make up a significant part of their income.