Top-rated Online gambling sites in Cambodia

The history of gambling in Cambodia does not have too many details. It has been illegal for Cambodians for a long time. The 1996 Law on the Suppression of Gambling even specifically stated that all forms of gambling are illegal for the residents, whereas tourists that come to the country can play at land-based gambling facilities without any issues.

There was a time when basic forms of slot machines were legal in the country, but after a series of violent disrupts over gambling debts by the residents, the government decided to shut things down, hence made the activity illegal in 2009.

Gambling Licenses

An interesting fact about land-based gambling is that over the course of 2018, the government handed out over 50 gambling licenses to operators. That was a 50% increase from the number in 2017. Statistics even showed that around 1.6 million Chinese go to Cambodia for the purpose of gambling and accounted for around 26% of the total number of tourists that visited the country.

Thanks to the massive handout by the government, the country had over 150 land-based casinos, 90 of which were located in Sihanoukville. Around 2015, online casinos also started to gain publicity. Many Cambodians started registering at these sites, even though they were formally labelled as illegal.

Gambling nowadays in Cambodia

The gambling industry nowadays is very fruitful in Cambodia. Even though it is available only to tourists, millions of foreigners visit the country for the sole purpose of gambling and having a pleasant casino gaming experience.

Considering the fact that the law that states that Cambodians are not allowed to gamble is not strictly enforced, many Cambodians even participate in these activities. More so, they register at online casinos with ease as the government does not have strict regulations that can block foreign sites and make them unable to offer their services to Cambodian players.

The government collects millions of dollars in tax money in recent years from this industry, and an interesting fact about this industry is that men who don't gamble are often viewed as not masculine.

As of 2021, the law states that gambling is legal and illegal at the same time. Here’s how. Cambodians are prohibited from accessing and playing casino games. The only gambling-related game that is considered legal in the country is the state lottery.

Land-based Casinos

But, foreigners are more than welcome to go to the land-based casinos in the country and enjoy many of the casino games that are offered at these facilities. Statistics have shown that millions of tourists go to Cambodia each year with the sole purpose of gambling. That is the reason why the government can collect millions of dollars in taxes from this industry.

Online casinos

Online casinos are not strictly regulated in Cambodia, but the law is very general and states that all forms of gambling are illegal for Cambodians. Hence, it is an accepted fact that the law is also applied to online casinos, which means that they too are prohibited.

But, this industry is not controlled by the government, which is why many Cambodians access offshore casino sites, register, and play the latest casino games with ease. Yes, there are penalties for those that get caught gambling illegally, but the thing is that this happens very rarely.

Regulation Laws and Authorities

Since gambling is illegal for Cambodians, there is no specific authority that regulates these activities. The casinos that own a license and are able to offer gambling services to foreigners are supervised directly by the government of Cambodia. As for the law that regulates gambling, the 1996 Law on the Suppression of Gambling states that all forms of gambling are illegal in the country.

Considering the fact that online casinos are not strictly regulated in Cambodia, players can access them. But, they do that at their own risks since many unlicensed/scam sites operate in the region as well. Hence, Cambodian players are often on the lookout for sites that are licensed by reputable authorities. Some of those are the Malta Gaming Authority and the UK Gambling Commission.

According to the 1996 Law on the Suppression of Gambling, Cambodians that get caught gambling will face a fine that goes up to 50,000 Riels or even 1 month in prison. But, history showed that this does not happen too regularly.

Since online casinos have become extremely accessible in Cambodia, even though they are considered illegal, players are always looking to register and play at these sites. However, they are always searching for sites that are supplied by reputable game providers.

With that being said, some of the suppliers that Cambodian players are always on the lookout for are Yggdrasil, Nolimit City, Quickspin and Asia Gaming. Some of these providers, such as Asia Gaming, are known for supplying numerous games that are themed with Asian culture, which is a good addition and benefit for the players.

Bitcoin Games

Bitcoin has recorded a surge in popularity recently, which is why numerous online casinos started accepting it as a payment method. Not only that, but game providers even supplied them with tons of Bitcoin games that are unique in their gameplay and theme.

These games are played by some Cambodians, but they are not too popular. Since Cambodia is a country that deals with a high level of poverty and hunger, not many people can afford to buy Bitcoin, let alone use it to play specific Bitcoin games.

The number one payment method in Cambodia are e-wallets. Since transactions with credit and debit cards are easy to be traced and gambling is considered illegal for Cambodians, the players resort to e-wallets like Neteller, Skrill and PayPal to deposit and withdraw money. The good thing about these payment methods is that they give the players instant deposits and instant withdrawals.

The bad thing about them is that they often come with fees, especially on withdrawals. Not only that, but many online casinos do not consider e-wallets as eligible payment methods for claiming bonuses.

Cash is the second-most popular payment method in Cambodia. Land-based gambling remains very popular, even though it is illegal. The law states that casinos may operate, but Cambodians are not allowed to enter them. This rule is not strictly enforced, which is why Cambodians go to these facilities and use cash to deposit and play the best casino games at that particular casino.

Less Popular Payment Methods in Cambodia

Even though there is a risk factor involved, credit and debit cards are still being used by Cambodians. They are popular, just as not as the aforementioned ones. Credit and debit cards are very reliable, accepted at pretty much every online casino, and provide the players with fast transactions. Withdrawals may not be as fast as e-wallets, but the good thing is that they come without any fees.

Wing has also made a positive impact on the Cambodian market recently. Finally, Bitcoin can be used from time to time as this cryptocurrency has tons of great advantages. It has all the best features from both credit and debit cards and e-wallets. All transactions made with Bitcoin are instant, they are very secure since the cryptocurrency provides the players with a certain level of online anonymity, and fees are not applied for deposits or withdrawals.

Gambling may be illegal in Cambodia, but that does not prevent people from participating in these activities. The number one most popular game in the country is poker, specifically Texas Hold’em and Omaha.

Poker

Poker is a casino game that requires a lot of skill, rather than luck, and has very rewarding prize pools. The skillset makes the game challenging, which is appealing to Cambodian players, while the prize pool is the cherry on top. Many Cambodians access online casinos or go to illegal dens just to play this game.

Slots

Next up, we have slots. These games were once legal in Cambodia and were very popular, but due to gambling-related crimes, the government decided to shut them down in 2009. Nevertheless, slots remained very popular in the country and are adored by many players.

The Lottery

The lottery is the only form of legal gambling in the country and since gambling is very popular in Cambodia, the people will grab on to any gambling-related activity that they can play. The state holds a monopoly in this market, but that does not seem to bother the players too much.