Sixty-one people across four Preah Sihanouk provincial districts were cautioned for illegal gambling between Wednesday and Saturday, according to a Facebook post by provincial police chief Chuon Narin.
The 61 bettors, including 39 women, were found gambling on street corners and inside tuk-tuks and houses, Mr. Narin said.
Police confiscated 63 decks of cards and 96,000 riel, or about $24.
All the gamblers were cautioned on the spot and then set free, he said.
The clampdown came just days after the Interior Ministry announced the formation of a new department to combat illegal gambling, said Kompong Seila district police chief Huot Chanthy.
“After receiving instructions from the Ministry of Interior, we started to crack down on all illegal gambling,” Mr. Chanthy said.
Stung Hav district police chief Ros Key said that although the gambling uncovered by police was small-scale, sterner punishments awaited those who were caught repeatedly.
“Next time, if they do it again, they may face fines,” Mr. Key said, adding that the penalties had yet to be determined.
