A Cambodian government official was quoted as saying on Friday that gambling businesses could not be conducted in Siem Reap near Angkor Wat, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Los Pirun was mentioned by the Ministry of Strategy and Finance on Wednesday after David Chow Kampai, co-chairman and chief executive of Hong Kong-listed casino services company Macau Legend Development Limited, said he was in negotiations to buy Siem Reap’s land as an “integrated resort.” The term is typically an industry euphemism for a place with a mix of casino space and non-gaming facilities. Although Mr Chow did not specifically use the word “casino” when referring to the plan, the term is generally an industry euphemism for a place with a mix of casino space and non-gaming facilities.
On Friday, the Phnom Penh Post newspaper reported that Mr Pirun had said of Siem Reap: “This is an area banned by our government for casino operations. We welcome investment, but it’s not the same kind of casino.”
In an emailed response to GGRA’s request for comment on the Siem Reap proposal on Friday, a Macau Legend spokesperson said: “Macao Legend Development is in discussion with the Cambodian government about the possibility of developing an integrated resort and hotel and will announce once an agreement is reached.”
Macau Legends already runs several Macau hotels and invests in several Macau casinos using SJM Holdings Ltd’s local gaming license. Macau Legends also runs a casino location in Laos called the Savan Legend Resorts Hotel and Entertainment Complex.
Cambodia has been grappling with legislation to regulate the casino industry for years, including the possibility of introducing a gaming tax as a percentage of total gaming revenue, instead of a flat tax currently levied on gambling tables and machines at casinos. Currently, the sector is overseen by Pirun’s ministry.
Phnom Penh Post quoted Mr Pirun as saying more than 100 casinos in Cambodia have been granted ministry permission to operate, most of them located in border areas. 안전한 카지노사이트
But he added: “There is not a single casino in Siem Reap because gambling businesses are not allowed.”
As of the end of 2016, there were 63 licensed casinos in Cambodia, according to a mutual evaluation report on Cambodia published by the Asia-Pacific Group on money laundering on September 5 last year.