Cambodia: gambling regulation and licensing
Kingdom of Cambodia
- Land-based (reference)Regulated
- Online casinoProhibited
- Online sports bettingProhibited
- Headline tax
- Not yet verified
- Licence required
- Not yet verified
- Last verified
- 30 Aug 2026
Summary
Cambodia licenses land-based casinos and prohibits online gambling, and the two facts are connected. The online ban took effect on 1 January 2020, after the sector had grown rapidly on offshore demand, and the Law on the Management of Commercial Gambling followed later that year, promulgated on 14 November 2020 after adoption by the National Assembly on 5 October. The law created the Commercial Gambling Management Commission and a foreigner-only land-based model: Cambodian nationals, public officials included, may not gamble in the country's casinos. The regulator has since tightened supervision, including placing permanent offices inside licensed venues and suspending licences. Cambodia is also central to the regional scam-compound story, and enforcement against licensed casinos increasingly overlaps with enforcement against organised cross-border crime rather than with gambling policy as such. The regulator revoked 20 casino licences in August 2026, and has suspended others, so the licensed field is not stable. For anyone assessing counterparty risk, the licence list is a moving target rather than a stable register, and a licence held today is not evidence of standing tomorrow. Enforcement is being driven by international pressure on scam operations rather than by domestic gambling policy.
Key facts
- Regulator
- Commercial Gambling Management Commission of Cambodia (CGMC)
- Regulator type
- Gaming board
- Headline tax
- Not yet verified
- Licence required
- Not yet verified
- Minimum age
- Not yet verified
- Tax base
- Not yet verified
- Capital
- Phnom Penh
- Currency
- KHR
- Official languages
- Khmer
Legal framework
Primary statutes
Law on the Management of Commercial Gambling
- Year
- 2020
- In force
- Yes
- Summary
- Adopted by the National Assembly on 5 October 2020 and promulgated on 14 November 2020. Establishes the licensing framework and the regulator, and prohibits Cambodian nationals, including public officials, from gambling in casinos.
Advertising
- Advertising permitted
- No
- Affiliate rules
- Affiliates are not separately licensed. Promotion of online gambling is caught by the prohibition on the underlying activity.
- Celebrity and influencer rules
- Because Cambodian nationals may not gamble in the country casinos, promotion directed at a domestic audience has no lawful subject.
- Penalties for breach
- The Commercial Gambling Management Commission supervises licensees and has suspended and revoked licences, so the licensed field is not stable.
Restrictions
- Online gambling has been prohibited since 1 January 2020, so there is no lawful online product to advertise.
- The Law on the Management of Commercial Gambling created a foreigner-only land-based model, so Cambodian nationals, public officials included, are a prohibited audience rather than a protected one.
- Advertising that could reach Cambodian nationals is therefore constrained by who may lawfully gamble, not only by content standards.
- The Commercial Gambling Management Commission has tightened supervision, including placing permanent offices inside licensed venues, and revoked 20 casino licences in August 2026.
Outlook
Licence revocations and suspensions are the thing to track. The regulator has shown willingness to withdraw licences at scale, which makes counterparty risk in Cambodia a live commercial question rather than a theoretical one.
Frequently asked questions
- Is online gambling legal in Cambodia?
- No. Online gambling was banned with effect from 1 January 2020 and the regulator has not issued online licences.
- Can Cambodians gamble in Cambodian casinos?
- No. The 2020 law establishes a foreigner-only model and prohibits Cambodian nationals, including public officials, from gambling in casinos.
Sources
- Tier 1Accessed 22 Aug 2026
- Tier 2Accessed 22 Aug 2026Published 20 Aug 2026
- Tier 2Accessed 22 Aug 2026