A licensed industry its own citizens may not enter
The rule is old and it is enforced: a Cambodian passport is a bar to entry, and dual nationality does not help. The 2020 Law on Commercial Gambling put the modern licensing framework around an industry that had grown up serving cross-border traffic, and the geography still shows it. Poipet faces Thailand, Bavet faces Vietnam, and both are casino towns for the same reason: they are where people who may not gamble at home arrive.
Phnom Penh is the exception, with a single venue rather than a cluster. NagaCorp holds exclusive rights to gaming within 200 kilometres of the capital through 2045, which is why the city has one casino and not a strip.
The industry is also under the heaviest enforcement in its history. Cambodia closed 91 casinos in 2026 after more than 250 raids, on the grounds that the premises were hosting online fraud operations, and a Law on Anti-Technology Fraud was enacted in April 2026. Five further licences were suspended or revoked in February. Any listing older than this year should be treated as a list of places to verify.
What this means for a visitor
- Carry your passport. It is the qualifying document, not merely identification.
- Treat any venue list as provisional. The estate contracted sharply in 2026 and the closures were not gradual.
- The border towns exist to serve players from countries where casinos are restricted, which shapes the rooms and the stakes more than the Cambodian market does.
- The arithmetic does not change with the jurisdiction: baccarat banker is 1.06% and the tie bet 14.36% here as anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can Cambodians gamble in Cambodia?
- No. Cambodian citizens have been barred from the casinos since 1996, and holding another nationality as well does not lift the bar. The industry is licensed to serve foreign visitors.
- How many casinos does Cambodia have?
- Fewer than it did. The government closed 91 in 2026 after raids targeting online fraud operations run from casino premises, and suspended or revoked five more licences in February. Verify any specific venue before travelling.
- Why is there only one casino in Phnom Penh?
- NagaCorp holds exclusive gaming rights within 200 kilometres of the capital through 2045, so no competing venue may license there.
Legal age, regulator and the tax treatment of player winnings on this page were checked against the regulator's own material or a reputable legal summary in August 2026. Gambling law moves; confirm anything consequential with the regulator before relying on it. Where sources disagreed, this site leaves the figure out rather than guessing.