Cambodia blocks 15 illegal online lottery websites

February 17, 2022 Cambodia iGaming & Gambling

Cambodia’s telecommunications regulator has blocked 15 illegal online lottery websites as its crackdown on all forms of online gambling continues.

According to a notice posted this week, the sites mostly emanate from Vietnam and include a popular lottery website called Vina24h.

The regulator said it will “continue to cooperate with the National Police, relevant authorities and all telecom operators to eliminate all domain names that operate and provide illegal online gambling and lottery services and circulars,” as reported by The Phnom Penh Post.

The action relates to a directive issued by Prime Minister Hun Sen in August 2019 by which Cambodia stopped issuing new online gaming licenses and opted not to renew existing licenses as of 1 January 2020. That directive included an order for authorities to intensify their investigations into illegal online gambling operations in an effort to eliminate scams aimed at extorting money from inside and outside Cambodia.

In announcing this week that the 15 websites had been blocked, the Telecommunications Regulator of Cambodia said its goal was “to participate in maintaining security, public order and social order.”