Ist Online Blackjack in Kambodscha legal?
Cambodia boasts a sizable regulated land-based casino industry, renewing 87 out of 171 licence applications in October 2022. However, Prime Minister Hun Sen and the Royal Government of Cambodia launched a nationwide crackdown on illegal online gambling in 2019, with a direct order to the Ministry of Economy and Finance not to renew online gambling licences anymore.
This means that online blackjack is not legal in Cambodia in any form. However, many Cambodians still resort to playing in offshore online casinos, which are not regulated by the local authorities.
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Gambling Laws in Cambodia
Cambodia passed The Law on the Suppression of Gambling in 1996, prohibiting all forms of gambling in the country for the local population. Foreigners, on the other hand, had scores of local land-based casinos to choose from, including the Naga Casino, with an exclusive right to offer gambling within a 200-kilometre radius of the inland capital, Phnom Penh.
The local population could play slot machines until 2009 when the Government banned them due to increased violence and confrontations caused by spiralling gambling debts.
Licensed retail casinos were also allowed to offer online gambling until August 2019, when the Royal Government decided to halt all online gambling operations within the state. The Chinese-backed crackdown on online and illicit gambling came amid a massive increase in human trafficking and kidnappings related to these illegal gambling operations.
These events prompted the authorities to act. In July 2020, the Minister of Economy and Finance drafted the Law on Management of Commercial Gaming, intending to regulate all forms of commercial gambling in the country. The law was adopted by the National Assembly on October 5, 2020, and signed into law by the King of Cambodia on November 14, 2020.
Law on Management of Commercial Gaming — New Dawn for Gambling in Cambodia
As a result of the newly-adopted law, the Government established the Cambodian Commercial Gaming Commission (CCGC) and tasked it with establishing new regulations, licensing operators, and resolving disputes.
There are four gambling licences for commercial casinos:
- Casino games, including blackjack
- Luck-based games
- Betting games
- Other games
Also, under the 12 Chapters and 97 Articles present in the law, operators can find clear information on zoning. Namely, the country has been divided into prohibited zones where there can’t be any casinos and permitted zones where businesses can establish casino resorts.
The Government introduced new tax obligations as well. Casinos located within integrated resorts are subject to a 4% tax for the VIP segment and a 7% tax on revenue for mass-market guests. Those casinos located outside the integrated resorts pay a flat 7% tax.
No persons under the age of 18 will be permitted to engage in any sort of gambling. Moreover, the Government issued minimum capital holding requirements. Integrated commercial casinos must present minimum capital holdings of $200 million, while standalone casinos will need at least $100 million.
The Cambodian Ministry of Economy and Finance estimated that more than $100 million would be collected in taxes per year from the newly-regulated casinos and that the minimum capital requirements would significantly limit the number of gambling establishments across the country.
Is Blackjack Allowed Under the New Gambling Law?
Blackjack is one of the casino games permitted at resorts, alongside baccarat, slots, poker, and all other games that may or may not include electronic and electromechanical devices. The games are supposed to be inspected by the Commercial Games Commission of Cambodia before being offered to players. Games not allowed to take place in casinos include betting games, luck-based games, and other commercial gambling forms.
Can You Access Offshore Online Casinos?
With the decree issued by Prime Minister Hun Sen in August 2019, all online gambling operations were banned starting in January 2020. Until then, all land-based casinos with a licence to offer online gambling services could offer online blackjack, slots, and other games. Past that date, no online licences were issued or renewed.
As for offshore online casinos, they are also banned. However, many continue to allow Cambodians to set up accounts and gamble. The country’s communications watchdog blocked 79 websites in 2021 and has continued with this practice in 2022. In February, the Telecommunications Regulator of Cambodia blocked 15 internet sites, including the famous Vietnamese lottery website Vina24h.
Will Cambodia Allow Online Blackjack in the Future?
Considering the current state of affairs and the gambling laws that are in power in Cambodia, it’s safe to say that online blackjack won’t be sanctioned anytime soon. Online blackjack is deemed illegal gambling, and the Commercial Gambling Management Commission seems poised to crack down on all illicit gambling activities.
To play online blackjack in Cambodia, you must opt for offshore gambling sites that still accept Cambodians. You should choose licensed offshore sites to be sure that they are not tempering with the games and that the outcomes are fair. Also, licensed sites will employ the latest security measures, such as Secure Socket Layer encryption, to protect your personal information and transactions.
Abschließende Überlegungen
The gambling landscape in Cambodia has changed dramatically over the last decade. The country has gone from totally banning gambling to promoting it. However, gambling activities can only take place in land-based resorts and standalone casinos. Online casinos are prohibited, and there’s no way of predicting when or if the climate will change.
If the legislators have a change of heart and decide to implement online casinos, online blackjack games will most certainly take off in Cambodia. The local population is big on blackjack and other casino games, which was one of the reasons why the Government launched an operation to ban online casinos in the first place.
