Online gambling groups in Cambodia are using digital entertainment as a tool to lead citizens into illegal betting activity, according to an investigation by The Khmer Times. Despite the national ban on online gambling that has been in place since 2019, operators continue to use Telegram, WhatsApp and other platforms to attract potential gamblers.
The investigation found that many channels appear to sell entertainment content such as pirated films, electronic books and mobile games. When a buyer contacts the administrators, they are often told that direct payment is unnecessary. Instead, they are instructed to create an account with an online gambling platform and deposit the same amount of money as betting credit. Access to the entertainment content is then promised as a reward.
Administrators, often presenting themselves as young women, encourage buyers to place at least one bet before any link is provided. The most common form of gambling offered is an online lottery game that refreshes every three minutes. Early rounds are designed to produce easy wins, sometimes up to ten times the original stake. However, winnings can only be withdrawn through the operators, who deduct the amount from the users gambling balance, which allows them to retain full control of the account.
Over time the likelihood of winning decreases and users are repeatedly urged to top up their accounts in an attempt to recover losses. Researchers studying online gambling note that these tactics resemble bait-and-switch techniques seen in other countries where gambling prompts are embedded in entertainment content to normalise betting behaviour.
A teacher in Phnom Penh told The Khmer Times that he has already seen students become addicted through this pattern. Parents have also reported cases of young relatives falling into online gambling.
Online gambling once expanded rapidly in Cambodia, particularly in Sihanoukville, until the government imposed a complete ban in 2019. Arrests, deportations and the closure of gambling centres followed.
However online gambling continues to circulate, with operators now targeting Cambodian citizens. Social analysts are urging the government to restrict online gambling promotion more strictly, warning that illegal betting continues to cause harm to families and communities across the country.
Online gambling debt has been linked to several recent suicide cases in Cambodia
