Amnesty Report Links Cambodian Casinos to Scam Compounds Despite Crackdown

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A new report from Amnesty International has raised continued concerns over Cambodia’s efforts to dismantle the online scam networks operating in the country, alleging that a dozen licensed casinos in Cambodia are directly tied to scamming compounds linked to serious human rights abuses.

Drawing on analysis of official licensing documents from Cambodia’s Commercial Gambling Management Commission, the Amnesty International report claims that casino operators maintain control over at least 12 sites where investigators have documented human rights abuses, including forced labor and human trafficking. These are in the cities of Poipet, Bavet, Chrey Thum, and Sihanoukville. The analysis has been corroborated by testimony from survivors who fled the compounds.

Cambodian authorities have publicised a crackdown on its scam compounds since 2025, including the arrest and deportation of Prince Group chairman Chen Zhi in January 2026. At one point, Prince Group was bringing in $30 million a day from fraudulent schemes. 

A June 2025 Amnesty International report found that nearly half of the 53 identified scam compounds were linked to casinos.

The Cambodian government has also recently advanced new legislation imposing penalties of up to life imprisonment for major scam operators.

While the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has praised Cambodia’s increased enforcement, Amnesty International argues the findings contradict government claims that it is aggressively targeting scam operations. This echoes the recent findings of a report by Erin West, an investigator and the founder of Operation Shamrock, who discovered that scam compounds were still operating in Cambodia.

Amnesty International’s Co-Regional Director Montse Ferrer said: 

This research establishes a clear link between Cambodia’s licensed casinos and its scamming compounds. At a time when the government says it is dismantling the scamming industry, the evidence shows it is simultaneously recognizing the plans for casino properties where abusive scamming compounds are run. This contradiction raises urgent questions about whether Cambodian regulators are legitimizing companies linked to grave abuses.