Cambodia, located in the Indochina Peninsula, gives everyone the impression that besides being poor and backward, it also has the world-famous tourist attraction "Angkor Wat". In such a place full of history and culture, it is the country with the most casinos in the world. one. Judging from the development history of Cambodia, in addition to tourism, the gaming industry is actually an indispensable and important factor in Cambodia’s economic development. Today, the editor of TC-Gaming will take you to learn about the city of gaming – Cambodia.

The history of gaming in Cambodia can be traced back to the period of the Khmer Empire, which is in Angkor Wat in Siem Reap today. It was found that the game of cockfighting was clearly depicted in the stone carvings, and the scene of the cockfighting game was described in detail. It can be seen that gaming games have been around for a long time. It became a part of Cambodian people's life during the Khmer Empire.

The gaming industry was officially recorded in Cambodian historical documents. In the 19th century, the then Cambodian King Norodom I asked France to join French Indochina, that is, to become a French colony and accept French rule and military protection. In 1887, the "Franco-Cambodian Treaty" was signed. In order to meet the royal family's expenses, the then Cambodian King Norodom I levied taxes on the gaming and opium industries to increase the royal family's financial resources. This shows how developed the gaming industry was in Cambodia at that time.

Over the next hundred years, Cambodia experienced wars, coups, and turbulent political situations, causing people's livelihood and economy to be in a state of paralysis. It was not until the "Paris Peace Agreement" was signed in France in 1991. With the assistance of the United Nations Authority in Cambodia, the first parliamentary election was held in 1993 and the Cambodian "Constitution" was adopted. At this point, Cambodia began to enter a stable political situation and began to promote economic development.

In order to attract foreign investors to enter, promote the development of tourism and other industries, and create more employment opportunities for the Cambodian people, the Cambodian government is opening up casinos and passing legislation to allow Cambodia to operate casinos legally. In 1995, the "Law on Suppression of Gambling" was established. This regulation clearly stipulates that casinos are not allowed to be built within 200 kilometers of Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia (but the Cambodian border, Bokor Mountain and Kirilung are not subject to this operation) range restrictions). However, this regulation clearly prohibits Cambodian people from entering casinos or participating in various forms of gambling activities. Violators will face high fines or be detained by relevant units. With the official establishment and entry into force of the "Anti-Gambling Law", this also means that Cambodia has officially legalized the gambling industry.

Cambodia borders Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos (also known as Laos), but these countries explicitly prohibit people from gambling due to religious beliefs or government regulations. Cambodia has built casinos and integrated resorts in these border towns. Large casinos are built directly between border checkpoints to facilitate the activities of these gamers across the border. There is no need to formally pass through Cambodian border checkpoints for cross-border gambling, and there is no need to apply for a visa to enter Cambodia. Cambodian border cities also Because the gaming industry enhances local development.

Sihanoukville (full name: Sihanoukville), the gambling capital that everyone is quite familiar with, was first famous for its sunny beaches and beach resorts, and attracted many foreigners. At that time, there was also a gaming industry established in the Sihanoukville area, but most of them were casinos targeting European and American tourists. In addition to the legalization of Cambodia’s gaming industry and the support of the Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone policy, around 2016, China’s One Belt and One Road policy attracted a large number of Chinese people to develop in Sihanoukville. With the rapid development of the gaming industry in Sihanoukville, Sihanoukville has transformed from a small fishing village in the countryside into the most famous gaming capital in Cambodia, and is even called Little Macau. It is not difficult to see from these places that the gaming industry has brought unimaginable growth to the development and economy of Sihanoukville.

With the rapid entry of a large amount of capital, the influx of foreign people has also caused a lot of chaos in Sihanoukville, and various social cases have emerged one after another as a result. Under the Chinese government's series of measures to suppress and control the gaming industry in 2019, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen even joined hands with the Chinese government and declared 2019 as the year of law enforcement cooperation between China and Cambodia, and issued a "ban on illegal iGaming" Gambling Order" and stopped issuing iGaming licenses. In 2020, the Cambodian government passed the "Integrated Resorts and Commercial Gambling Management Law (referred to as: New Gambling Law)" and divided the gaming industry into restricted areas, encouraged development areas, and advanced development areas. There are certain restrictions on the location and scope of the gaming industry, and management processes and standards are formulated for the gaming industry.

Although the gambling ban issued by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has indeed had a considerable impact on Cambodia’s gaming industry, it also caused a wave of refugees in Cambodia’s gaming industry at that time. A large number of gaming industry personnel evacuated, and Sihanoukville was once reduced to a ghost town. However, from the new gaming law passed by the Cambodian government, it is not difficult to find that the Cambodian government does not completely prohibit the development of the gaming industry in Cambodia. Instead, it has clear regulations for the gaming industry, and it can also help the Cambodian government in the gaming industry. Obtain relevant tax income.

After all, the gaming industry has provided Cambodia with considerable economic income for a long time, and many cities in Cambodia have been developed and constructed because of the gaming industry. If the gambling industry is completely driven out of Cambodia, it will cause considerable damage to Cambodia. The ultimate goal of the new gambling law passed by the Cambodian government is to institutionalize the management of the gaming industry and reduce the chaos caused by the gaming industry, but at the same time, it can provide stable tax revenue for the Cambodian government through the gaming industry.