Casinos flush with locals
At 7am, the border crossing from Vietnam to Svay Rieng’s Bavet town is already buzzing with the activity of foreign gamblers arriving for a day at the casinos along National Highway 1. …
But throughout the day, a steady trickle of Cambodian players make their way past the ubiquitous security, taking their seats at the baccarat tables and chirping slot machines. …
Gambling, in any form, is illegal in Cambodia for citizens, according to the Law on the Suppression of Gambling adopted by the National Assembly in 1996. …
The small slice taken in taxes by the government raises the question of who in Cambodia is benefiting from these gambling institutions. …
Though Cambodian gamblers continue to frequent casinos around the country, Lim Eang, director of casino security in Bavet for the Ministry of Interior, insisted yesterday that the number of Cambodians visiting casinos has been reduced since the national meeting of casino owners. …
