Login Register

Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Sihanoukville casinos seek to reopen despite Covid

Sihanoukville casinos seek to reopen despite Covid

| Publication date 29 July 2020 | 21:46 ICT

Content image - Phnom Penh Post
The provincial hall said 21 casinos have requested permission to resume operations. Heng Chivoan

Sihanoukville casinos seek to reopen despite Covid

Preah Sihanouk Provincial Hall spokesman Kheang Phearum said on Wednesday that 21 casinos in the coastal province have requested permission to resume operations.

If approved, their requests would be forwarded to the national government for review.

All casinos have had to suspend their operations since April 1 due to government guidelines in place to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Prime Minister Hun Sen allowed them to operate again on July 3, but gambling tables had to be situated at least one metre from each other. Group gambling games were prohibited.

Casino owners must ask permission from the Ministry of Health and install Covid-19 prevention measures if they wanted to reopen the rest of their business, Phearum said.

“Seven casino owners requested a resumption [of operations] during the first phase [of requests], while 14 casino owners requested a resumption during the second phase. The decision falls on the Ministry of Health. If it permits, their reopening is legal,” he said.

He did not confirm if any casino has resumed operation but suspects that a series of requests would be forthcoming shortly.

Director-general of the General Department of Financial Industry at the Ministry of Economy and Finance Mey Vann said all casino owners wanted to resume their operations.

Vann said over 10 casinos in Preah Sihanouk had recently requested national-level permission to reopen and they are being reviewed.

Casino owners in Bavet and Poipet towns had not yet requested to reopen because the borders with Vietnam and Thailand were still closed, he said.

Phnom Penh’s NagaWorld is the only casino that has been permitted to resume operations.

Royal Academy of Cambodia economics researcher Hong Vanak said the casino industry had generated incomes for the State via monthly and yearly tax payments. It had also created jobs for citizens.

But he said casinos may face a lack of gamblers when they reopen.

Vanak said casinos have positive and negative points. Some gamblers may lose their money and end up affecting public order, but casinos pay taxes and create jobs too.

He said the most important thing is managing who is allowed to enter casinos. Vanak wants to see how casinos will be regulated.

Neither Ministry of Health spokeswoman Or Vandine nor it secretary of state York Sambath could be reached for comment on Wednesday.

Watch video:

Contact author: Niem Chheng

MOST VIEWED

  • 12th Cambodia int’l film festival to see return of Hollywood star

    Phnom Penh is set to come alive with the magic of cinema as the highly anticipated 12th Cambodia International Film Festival (CIFF) takes centre stage. Boasting an impressive line-up of 188 films from 23 countries, including captivating shorts, feature films, documentaries and animation, the festival promises an

  • Brawl marrs football final as Indonesian take gold in seven goal thriller

    The Indonesian men's U22 men national football team were crowned champions of the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia, defeating Thailand 5-2 in extra time on May 16 at Olympic National Stadium in Phnom Penh. The match was marred by an ugly incident that occured in the 91

  • Bareknuckle champion wants Kun Khmer fighter

    Dave Leduc, who is the current openweight Lethwei boxing champion in Myanmar, has announced that he will travel to Cambodia this year to challenge SEA Games gold medallist Prum Samnang any time that is convenient, after their planned match later this month in Slovakia was

  • Candlelight Party disqualified from July general election

    The National Election Committee (NEC) has disqualified the Candlelight Party (CP) from contesting the upcoming general election, citing a lack of valid documentation. NEC spokesman Khorn Keomono said the CP failed to fulfil one of the three main requirements: including original documentation proving their registration

  • 1.4 billion dollar Phnom Penh-Bavet expressway due in four years

    The Government, through the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, has officially signed a public-private partnership agreement with a private company for the construction of a Phnom Penh-Bavet Expressway project that will connect the capital to Svay Rieng province. The budget for the project is

  • New Law on Taxation comes into effect

    Cambodia has enacted the eagerly-awaited new Law on Taxation, which aims to improve the national tax regime’s compliance with present and future international standards and economic conditions; encourage accountability, effectiveness and transparency in the collection process; and promote investment in the Kingdom. King Norodom

Related articles