Cambodia’s illegal gambling crackdown leads to $300m frozen

• More than a year, Cambodia maintained its focus on combating illegal gambling, fraud and scams
• In various operations over the last 16 months, the country repatriated 23,700+ foreign nationals and charged 5,000+ Cambodians
• More than $300m seized, together with cash and other assets

For more than a year, Cambodia focused on dismantling cross-border illegal gambling syndicates, scam operations and human trafficking groups.

On Friday, the local government presented data, revealing that the combined efforts of law enforcement in collaboration with international agencies resulted in the seizure of more than $300m and nearly 600 court cases.

Local law enforcement collaborated with international agencies

As announced by the local media outlet, the Khmer Times, His Excellency Chhay Sinarith, the Cambodian Senior Minister in Charge of Special Missions and the Head of the Secretariat of the Commission for Combating Online Scams, delivered an update, revealing the progress the country has made against illegal online gambling, fraud and scams.

Starting on July 1, 2025, Cambodia cracked down on cross-border gambling, scams and fraud, focusing on three key objectives: the elimination of human trafficking, implementation of action plans on an international level and prosecuting the ringleaders of criminal groups.

Instead of waiting for criminal complaints, Cambodian law enforcement was proactive and investigated money flows and correspondence of suspected groups, while also cooperating with international agencies like Interpol and the FBI.

The crackdown on illegal gambling and related crimes comes after the United States imposed sanctions on organizations and individuals tied to the Prince Group network.

The direct response of Cambodian law enforcement saw more than 23,700 foreign nationals return to their countries of origin for prosecution, while more than 5,000 Cambodians, suspected of being involved in various criminal activities, faced charges.

Equally as important, fighting illegal online gambling and scams, police raided 972 suspected locations while also seizing $300m in numerous bank accounts along with real estate and other assets.

At the same time, gambling regulators handed out 18 casino license revocations and suspended 10 more licenses.

This data, Senior Minister Sinarith said, covers the period between July 1, 2025, and October 31, 2026.

The total number of court cases in Cambodia for the 16-month period was nearly 600, a figure that is a testament to the country’s dedication to eliminating illegal online gambling, scam and fraud operations.

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