Cambodian casino shut down after cockfight ring busted

Authorities in the Memot District of the Tboung Khmum province in Cambodia have shut down a casino for staging a cockfight.

The Global 69 Casino, which was already operating without a licence, was found to be violating the rules after it was found to be hosting illegal cockfights.

According to a report by Khmer Times, the operation was led by the Tboung Khmum Provincial Court prosecutor and involved the provincial and military police.

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Despite the casino being closed on the orders of the court, the Phnom Penh Post reports that the move is just temporary.

There are conflicting reports about the group of people detained after the operation. The Times reports that about 100 people including casino owners and managers were detained, while the Post reported that the owners were not among the detainees.

Owners of the casino may not face any severe charges aside from shutting down operations for a period, which has raised concerns among the local residents who have been complaining about the activities of the casino.

A local TV report indicates the operation of the casino only came to the attention of authorities after they were told that local residents were allowed to bet on cockfights.

Cockfighting is not new in Cambodia and some operators actually broadcast it live online to have many people bet on it.

Locals in Cambodia are not allowed to gamble and most of the casinos in the county are of small-scale and are located in the border towns near Thailand and Vietnam.