The announcement by Cambodia’s leadership that it is planning to halt the expansion of gambling within the country could likely be a bid to cozy up to its main regional friend China and get visitation back. Gaming expert Ben Lee points out in this week’s Under the Scope how the nation is moving towards a regulated gaming environment, weeding out the bad players and moving forward with a solid framework potentially in the second half of this year.
Despite enjoying a heady period of online gaming, which drew swarms of Chinese investment, Cambodia has outlawed the practice, and it’s been cracking down on those attempting to continue it.
“This could be China’s way of putting as much pressure as they can on Cambodia to curb its online gaming industry,” notes Lee of the recent announcements, reiterating that the online side is already illegal in the country.
