Cambodia Casinos Under Fire as Amnesty Flags Abuse Links

Cambodia casinos are facing serious international pressure after a major human rights investigation linked at least a dozen licensed venues to scamming compounds. Victims at these sites reported forced labor, human trafficking, and torture. The findings raise direct questions about a regulatory system that kept approving casino licenses while abuse was documented on those same properties.

What the Report Found

Researchers drew on licensing documents from Cambodia’s Commercial Gambling Management Commission, satellite imagery, site visits, and survivor testimony. They identified venues across Sihanoukville and border towns including Poipet, Bavet, and Chrey Thum. Flagged properties include multiple Crown-branded casinos, the Majestic Hotel and Casino, Majestic Two, New Venetian Casino, Golden Sea Casino, Casino Kyom, Marinan International, Peak Casino, Long Feng Xuan Casino, and Huang Chao International. Many have ownership ties to Cambodian companies with links to China.

The accusation is direct. Casino operators are said to control facilities where documented abuses took place. The crimes were not happening on the fringes of these properties. They were happening inside them. Victims were lured to Cambodia through fake job advertisements. They were then confined and forced to run online scams. Those who resisted reported electric shocks, physical violence, and transfers between compounds.

One survivor described guards entering rooms with shock batons while children cried in fear. Another said he was moved between several casino complexes before escaping by jumping from a building. These accounts form the evidentiary core of the report.

Licenses Renewed During a Declared Crackdown

The timing is the sharpest part of the criticism. Several licenses were renewed or approved in late 2025 and early 2026. This happened while Cambodian authorities publicly announced a nationwide crackdown on scam operations. The contradiction is difficult to explain away.

Cambodia casinos cannot be treated as passive bystanders when the regulator kept approving their licenses through the same period abuse was documented on their grounds. The question is what oversight bodies knew and when they knew it. In January 2026, a former owner of the Majestic Hotel and Casino was charged with illegal recruitment for exploitation, fraud, and money laundering. That charge makes it harder to frame the problem as purely external criminal infiltration.

A Pattern the Government Cannot Ignore

This is not the first report of its kind. A June 2025 investigation identified more than 50 scamming compounds across Cambodia operating as detention sites. Nearly half of those locations had ties to casino properties. The repeat findings point to a systemic problem, not isolated incidents.

Cambodian authorities have cited raids across several provinces and more than 1,000 arrests. But critics argue those numbers do not address the conditions that allow such operations to continue. The U.S. Department of State noted separately that Cambodia has not prosecuted a labor trafficker since 2022. It also stated the country does not meet minimum standards for eliminating trafficking.

Researchers called for the immediate suspension of licenses at all identified venues. They also urged a full investigation covering operators, financiers, and property owners. The demand targets the entire chain of responsibility, not just those on the ground.

What Comes Next

Pressure on Cambodia casinos now comes from several directions at once. An international human rights body has named specific venues, provided documentary evidence, and demanded regulatory action. A foreign government has flagged the country’s trafficking enforcement record. At least one former casino owner already faces criminal charges.

Whether Cambodia’s regulator acts or continues approving licenses will define what follows. The evidence is on the table. So is the question of who in the licensing chain is accountable for what happened inside those properties.