The Cambodian government has released a statement claiming it has shut down 91 casinos found to be fronts for scam operations as part of a nationwide crackdown on the activity.
The closures were first reported by Chinese state news agency Xinhua, with Cambodia said to have raided more than 250 illicit scam hubs over the past nine months and deported 13,039 foreign nationals from 33 countries who were found to be involved in scam operations.
Another 241,888 expats had also departed Cambodia voluntarily since mid-January, the government explained.
Xinhua cited comments from the Cambodian government explaining that the eradication of criminal scam syndicates is a “marathon, not a sprint” and that “success depends on sustained international cooperation and local vigilance.”
It added that the administration “urges the global community to recognise its aggressive shift towards transparency and the rule of law. This crackdown signals the definitive end of the era of impunity for regional cyber-fraudsters.”
The update follows a recent report by global human rights organization Amnesty International which accused Cambodia’s gaming regulator of licensing multiple casino complexes despite direct recent evidence of severe human rights abuses having taken place within their confines.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury on Friday sanctioned a Cambodian senator as well as 28 individuals and entities in his network for defrauding American citizens via multiple scam compounds he is alleged to control from casinos and other buildings he owns across the country.
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