Cambodia Shuts Gang Dao Casino After Scam Raid

Cambodia has widened its campaign against online scam networks, starting with a casino closure in Preah Sihanouk and then a second operation in Phnom Penh. The action puts fresh attention on how closely parts of the casino sector and online fraud cases have overlapped.

Good to Know

• Authorities sealed Gang Dao Casino on April 5 and detained 108 suspects.
• Police later raided a Phnom Penh condominium unit and arrested eight more foreign suspects.
• Cambodia is now using a newly enacted anti-online scam law with penalties that can reach life imprisonment.

Casino Closure Opens A Wider Cambodia Scam Crackdown

A licence revocation came first into view, but the bigger picture is broader. Cambodian authorities have spent the past two days hitting alleged scam operations in more than one location, pairing a casino shutdown in Preah Sihanouk with a separate raid in Phnom Penh.

At Gang Dao Casino, the General Secretariat of the Commercial Gambling Management Commission of Cambodia said officials sealed and searched the property on April 5. The operation ended with 108 detainees, made up of 105 Chinese nationals and three Burmese nationals. Authorities also seized nearly 500 computers and more than 1,000 mobile phones believed to have been used in scam activity.

After the search, officials concluded that operator Gang Dao International Entertainment had breached the Law on the Management of Commercial Gambling. The commission then revoked casino licence No. 325, a licence granted on Nov. 19, 2025. Officials described the action as part of a stricter enforcement phase aimed at dismantling online scam networks that have hurt both social security and the reputation of Cambodia.

Away from the casino floor, another raid showed how wide the crackdown is becoming. On April 6, Phnom Penh authorities dismantled an alleged online scam site inside a condominium unit at the JD Polman building in Sen Sok district. Investigators said the unit contained a replica Japanese police station.

Eight foreign nationals were arrested there, five Japanese and three Chinese. According to the Commission for Combating Online Scams, the group allegedly posed as Japanese police officers and used forged legal documents to target victims in Japan. Officers seized 14 mobile phones, a CPU, a monitor, three iPads, five Japanese police uniforms, two police caps, and fake paperwork including complaints, contracts, and arrest warrants.

So the two raids looked different on the surface, yet both pointed to the same direction of travel. Cambodia is trying to show that casinos, condominium units, and any other site used for online scam activity are all within reach of enforcement.

That harder line now sits alongside the newly enacted Law on Combating Online Scams. The law creates five criminal offences: online fraud, organising or leading scam centres, recruiting or training participants, illicit collection of personal data, and specialised forms of money laundering. Penalties can reach life imprisonment, fines of up to one billion riel, and confiscation of related assets.

Officials said enforcement will continue “strictly and without exception” in coordination with the Commission for Combating Online Scams and other authorities. They also warned gambling operators that no site in Cambodia will be treated as a safe haven for online scam activity.

Prime Minister Hun Manet has repeated the same message in even sharper terms. He said Cambodia “is not a place for cybercriminals to operate scams or transnational crimes”, adding that those behind such activity will face the maximum penalties without leniency or interference.

The Gang Dao case also lands in a wider debate over casino-linked scam compounds in Cambodia. Amnesty International recently argued that some licensed casino properties have overlapped with abusive scam operations even while the government says it is dismantling the industry. That is why the latest raids will be watched closely. For officials, they are evidence of tougher action. For critics, they are only one test of whether enforcement will keep going beyond a handful of high-profile cases.

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