Gambling in Cambodia is officially illegal under the 1996 Law on Gambling Suppression, which prohibits all forms of illegal gambling and provides penalties ranging from financial penalties to a short prison term, even though the Cambodian Government's Department of Corrections does not include gambling as one of the 28 offenses that can be sentenced to imprisonment.
The gambling ban, which also applies to all forms of online gambling, only applies to Cambodians. As of October 2015, there are 75 casinos serving foreign tourists operating in Cambodia, providing an estimated revenue of $ 29 million to the national government in the first nine months of this year and $ 2 billion in revenues for the casino. Cambodians are allowed to gamble through government-sponsored games including five separately privately-run private lotteries. Cambodians were also previously allowed to play slot machines located in national casinos, but due to violent complaints related to gambling debt and widespread gambling problems, slot machines were banned in 2009.
Gambling as a popular hobby has been embedded in the culture of Southeast Asia in general and Cambodian culture in particular. Men who do not gamble are often considered not masculine. As a result, despite laws banning gamblers, illegal gambling is widespread in Cambodia. Cambodian police forces, ruled by one of the world's most corrupt governments, often see another way when casinos freely allow local residents to enter and provide private rooms for government officials and law enforcement officials, who often have a financial interest in the casino, to doing illegal gambling. Extralegal activities are also widespread outside the allowed casinos ranging from cockfights and card rooms to sports books (especially regional football matches and kickboxing) and unauthorized lotteries. Most of these activities are controlled by organized crime and protected by bribery to law enforcement.
A number of social problems disrupt Cambodia as a result of gambling, especially gambling addiction.
Video Gambling in Cambodia
Industri kasino
Gambling is illegal in all countries bordering Cambodia. Communist governments in Vietnam and Laos ban strict Thai and Myanmar Buddhist gambling and culture also prohibits gambling. Beginning in the late 1990s, Cambodia has built a casino industry to capitalize on this, building casinos in border towns and popular resort areas and attracting foreign gamblers while officially banning citizens from entering. In border towns like Poipet, O Smach and Bavet, there is a "strip casino" between border checkpoints so that foreign nationals can cross the border to gamble and then return home without formally passing through Cambodia checkpoints, eliminating the need for visas. In popular tourist areas, such as Koh Kong and Sihanoukville, casinos are open to anyone with the country's largest foreign passport and casino, the Phnom Penh Dragon Casino, which has exclusive game rights within a 200-kilometer radius of the capital, has plans to operate a charter service to fly rich customers from China.
The casino industry in Cambodia continues to grow. In 2011, USD 20 million tax revenue was generated. In 2014, 57 casinos provide $ 25 million in revenues to the national government, while in the first nine months of 2015, 75 casinos, with ten new companies licensed in the third quarter alone, are responsible for $ 29 million in government revenues. and USD 2 billion in revenue for casino owners, most of whom are foreign investment companies.
Maps Gambling in Cambodia
Social issues
Cambodia often cites an old saying Khmer lbaeng Taeng vineah (Khmer: ????????????? ), "Gambling is always destructive, "reflecting the various social problems that revolve around gambling from which Cambodia suffers, including crimes associated with illegal gambling and debt payments, domestic disputes and, destructive gambling addiction which is a big problem in Cambodia. Although an official ban on citizens takes part in any form of unauthorized games, gambling is an important part of Cambodian culture. Gambling, usually in the form of cards or game dice, has traditionally been socially acceptable only during the weeks surrounding New Year's celebrations. However, gambling continues throughout the year at every opportunity, in underground card houses, lotteries (both legal and illegal), sports books, online games, through unlawful entry into casinos or even impromptu games on work breaks; there is even a game called chak Teuk phliang where Cambodia will bet, sometimes up to USD 1000, about when and how much it will rain.
Foreign passports are required to enter the casino in Cambodia, providing a gap that allows many urban Cambodians with dual citizenship to gamble legally. The rural population and those who can not produce a foreign identity must bribe the local police to enter a legitimate casino. Gamblers who left casinos or other less formal and dark game venues reported that they were forced to hand over two-thirds of their daily victory to the police to avoid arrest when caught.
There is little or no psychological service available to those who are addicted. Among the Cambodian men, gambling, along with drinking and other nasty traits, is seen as a symbol that conveys masculinity. Cambodian societies have traditionally viewed the problem of gambling as a social issue rather than a medical problem, consequently, very few seek treatment from medical professionals. In 2012, the national treatment program, Transcultural Psychological Organization, reported treating patients for disorders such as depression and drug addiction but did not treat a single patient for gambling addiction.
References
External links
Source of the article : Wikipedia
0 Comments