Gambling in Cambodia

The gambling scene

Cambodia's gambling world is built around one big divide: the casinos are for foreigners, and Cambodians are kept out. The Law on the Suppression of Gambling prohibits gambling of all kinds throughout the Kingdom, except what the Royal Government permits, and what it permits is a licensed casino industry serving visitors⁵. That law, passed in the mid-1990s, outlawed most types of gambling for Cambodians³.

The result is an unusual landscape. Casinos cluster where the customers are: the border towns of Poipet, near Thailand, and Bavet, on the Vietnam border, plus coastal spots in Koh Kong and Sihanoukville¹. Poipet's casinos cater to Thais, thousands of whom cross the border at weekends to gamble, along with visitors from China, South Korea and Malaysia⁶. Star Vegas Club and Casino in Poipet sits right on the Thai border and markets itself as the closest legal gaming destination to the Bangkok area¹. In Phnom Penh, NagaWorld anchors the market as the country's only top-tier luxury casino and the city's only integrated hotel-casino entertainment complex⁷.

For the full picture of what is allowed and what is not, read gambling laws in Cambodia, and for the scams that have followed the industry's growth, see gambling scams in Cambodia.

Casinos and resorts

The casino industry is spread across four main regions, and each has its own character.

Phnom Penh. Casinos in Phnom Penh means, in practice, NagaWorld: a full casino hotel with rooms and suites, table games and slots, plus bars and clubs around the gaming floor⁷. Its Main Casino and Garden Casino offer baccarat, roulette, blackjack, Caribbean Stud Poker, Wheel of Fortune, Sic Bo, Ultimate Texas Hold'em, Ngau Ham and Bai Buu⁸. The 888 Club is open daily from 3:00 pm to 5:00 am⁹, and the Darlin Darlin lounge is temporarily closed for renovation¹⁰.

Poipet. Casinos in Poipet serve the weekend Thai trade, with resorts lined up along the border crossing⁶. Sands Poker Club runs poker games in town¹¹.

Bavet and the south. Casinos in Bavet face Vietnam, while Ha Tien Vegas in Kampot calls itself the largest casino and entertainment complex in the province, with table games open 24/7¹². For the coast, see casinos in Sihanoukville, where Queenco Hotel & Casino sits on Victory Beach, 17 km from the airport, offering baccarat, blackjack, roulette and slots, and open 24 hours every day¹³.

The games. Casino games in Cambodia cover the familiar lineup: blackjack, poker, roulette and slot machines are the staples¹⁴. Baccarat in Cambodia is the biggest draw. Two hands are dealt, Player and Banker, with three possible outcomes; cards count at face value, aces are one, face cards are zero, and the hand closest to 9 wins¹⁵. Ha Tien Vegas runs eight baccarat tables around the clock, including VIP rooms¹². Dragon Tiger is a faster cousin played with a standard deck: one card for Dragon, one for Tiger, equal values tie, and special cards can pay up to 11 times¹⁶. Slot machines in Cambodia fill the rest of the floor, with electronic roulette machines alongside the reels at resorts like Ha Tien Vegas¹².

For venue-by-venue detail, start with casinos in Cambodia, and for the two flagship properties, NagaWorld and Ha Tien Vegas Entertainment Resort.

The lottery

Cambodia's lottery history goes back to 1992, when a foreign firm launched Cambodia Pools with four different lotteries sold through 150 agent outlets. Prizes ranged from 25 to 200,000 times the size of the bet, betting windows closed at 4:30 p.m., and winners were announced by radio at 6:30 p.m. and on television later in the evening¹⁷. The trade has had a rough side too: alleged lottery operators have been charged in court under the gambling law¹⁸.

Today the lottery landscape is thinner than it once was, and unlicensed number games have landed sellers in trouble¹⁸. For what is currently on sale, draw schedules and payout rates, read the Cambodia lottery.

Sports betting and racing

Sports betting in Cambodia has one legal home: the ARENA Sports Poker Bar at NagaWorld, which describes itself as the only legal sports betting establishment in the country¹⁹. Elsewhere, football betting is illegal, and the betting shops that have operated in Poipet have done so outside the law⁶. There is no horse racing industry to speak of.

If you want to bet on sport while in Cambodia, the ARENA is the licensed option, with a smart casual dress code²¹. The details, including what you can bet on and how it works, are on sports betting in Cambodia.

Poker

Poker is the one game with a genuine scene. NagaWorld runs weekly low stakes tournaments and hosts international poker festivals throughout the year in partnership with global brands²². Its cash games claim the lowest rake in Cambodia and one of the most competitive rake structures in Southeast Asia²³. The ARENA runs eight poker games every night¹⁹. In Poipet, Sands Poker Club offers another room¹¹.

All live games are played in US dollars, the main currency for transactions in the country⁴. One thing to know: any poker game held outside a licensed commercial casino is illegal, and participants can face fines or imprisonment⁴.

For the full picture, read poker in Cambodia, poker tournaments in Cambodia and online poker in Cambodia.

Local and traditional games

Alongside the international lineup, Cambodian casinos carry regional card games you will not find in Las Vegas. Bai Buu and Niu Niu are dealt at Ha Tien Vegas alongside baccarat and Dragon Tiger¹², and Ngau Ham and Bai Buu appear on NagaWorld's main floor too⁸. These games are fast, simple comparing-card formats that locals and regional visitors grew up with, which is why the border casinos keep them on the menu.

The history is worth knowing: the whole casino industry exists because of the ban on gambling for Cambodians, so the "local" games survive inside venues locals cannot enter⁵. More on these games, their rules and where to find them is on traditional gambling games in Cambodia.

Online

Online gambling in Cambodia is a gray-to-black zone. There are no legal Cambodian online casinos and no domestic licensing framework; online gambling is prohibited and enforcement against illegal operations is strict³. Offshore sites fill the gap: one directory lists 769 casinos accepting players from Cambodia, licensed in places like Panama, Anjouan, Mwali, Curaçao, the Isle of Man and Malta, with lobbies running to more than ten thousand titles from providers such as Play'n GO, Pragmatic Play, NetEnt and Evolution³. Using them counts as illegal gambling, though authorities rarely prosecute locals for it³.

If you do play online from Cambodia, expect crypto and local wallets rather than cards, and set your own limits: some sites offer hourly reality-check reminders that prompt you to consider time and spending²⁶. The full picture, including which offshore operators accept Cambodian players, is on online gambling in Cambodia.

Money and payments

US dollars are the working currency of the casino industry; live poker and table games run in USD, and Cambodian riel is unlikely to be accepted online⁴. For everyday payments, popular local methods include Wing Money, ABA Pay, Pi Pay and TrueMoney³. At NagaWorld, Visa, Mastercard and JCB cards are accepted³. For online play, the top crypto choices among Cambodian gamblers are:

• Tether, Bitcoin and Ethereum
• Litecoin, Dogecoin, Ripple, Bitcoin Cash and Binance Coin³

On tax, the news is good: Cambodia does not currently impose tax on individual player winnings, and winnings from licensed tournaments are generally not taxed at the source²⁵. The details, including how payouts work at each type of venue, are on gambling payments in Cambodia and tax on gambling winnings in Cambodia.

Who can play

The short version: the market is legally restricted to foreigners and tourists²⁵. Cambodian citizens cannot gamble in casinos or other gaming venues, and security staff check people at casino entrances. Foreign passport holders can play at licensed casinos from age 18, and staff may ask to see your passport and visa³. Locals caught gambling face fines and potential detention²⁵.

Visiting and living there

If you are visiting Cambodia and want to see a casino, the practicalities are simple. Bring your passport; casinos like Ha Tien Vegas cater only to foreign passport holders and may request your passport and visa under Cambodia's gambling regulations¹⁶. The legal age is 18³. Dress codes are relaxed at the border resorts; at NagaWorld's ARENA, smart casual is the standard²¹. Opening hours are generous: Ha Tien Vegas and Queenco both run 24 hours¹², and the 888 Club opens at 3:00 pm and closes at 5:00 am⁹.

NagaWorld also offers hotel rooms and suites if you want to stay where you play⁷, and its NagaRock venue has Texas Hold'em Bonus Poker tables with a live band performing all day²⁷. For the full visitor's guide, read gambling in Cambodia as a visitor, and if you are based in Cambodia and thinking of gambling in a neighboring country instead, see gambling trips abroad from Cambodia.

Getting help

If gambling stops being fun, help exists. Operators point players to professional helplines such as GamCare and Gambling Therapy if you feel anxious, chase losses or hide your betting activity²⁶. Other organizations available to help compulsive gamblers include Gambling Therapy, Gamblers Anonymous and Gam-Anon²⁸. Self-exclusion tools and reality-check reminders are also offered by some operators²⁶.

For where to turn in Cambodia, including self-exclusion and support resources, read gambling help in Cambodia.