The Chinese government has told its citizens not to gamble in Cambodia after multiple cases of violence were reported, with some resulting in death.
The warning could spell a major blow for the Cambodian economy, which has become heavily dependent on Chinese money. “Looking at the recent vicious crime cases involving Chinese citizens [in Cambodia], many of those were led by gambling causes,” said a statement from the Chinese embassy in Phnom Penh quoted by the CNE news portal. “The law enforcement units of China and Cambodia are jointly enhancing efforts to combat every online gambling and telecom fraud activity involving Chinese citizens in Cambodia.” The embassy stated that mainland Chinese passport holders should not take part in gambling in the Southeast Asian nation and warned against online gambling companies trying to lure people to work in Cambodia.
The embassy said Chinese authorities would act against people involved in online gambling. Much of the gambling is centered around the southern port city of Sihanoukville, which has been transformed into a Chinese enclave over recent years amid massive investment and attempts to transform what was once a quiet provincial town into a major metropolis. However, those plans have fallen flat. In mid-2019, Cambodia stopped issuing new permits for online gambling services, which are being phased out. The Covid-19 pandemic has also taken a toll, ending international tourism and halting the planned migration of millions of Chinese. By 2019, according to the government’s own statistics, Chinese nationals living in Cambodia had more than doubled from a year earlier to 210,000.
Back then Chinese tourist arrivals had risen more than 70 percent year on year and were expected to reach 2.5 million annually by 2020 — in a country of just 15 million people.
About The Author
Harrison Okafor
editor
Judith is a believer, a lover of Christ and a Gospel freak person. A passionate gospel blogger and press writer. I work with GospelHitsNaija.net Media, no 1 Gospel music platform.
