‘Positive’ gambling reforms attracting more investors to Cambodia

Cambodia, which once hid behind the shadows of its Southeast Asian peers, is slowly stepping in to the investors’ radars amid positive gambling reforms.

The Voice of America reported that Cambodia is making a sweeping legislative reforms in order to corner a large chunk of gambling investments in the country. The reforms include the likely enactment of a key casino bill that will set a 4% to 5% tax rate for the brick-and-mortar facilities.

There are 65 licensed casinos in Cambodia but the sector is dominated by HongKong-listed Naga World Hotel and Entertainment.

Ben Reichel, executive director of Australian-listed casino operator Donaco International, pointed out that the Cambodian government’s decision to ease visa rules for Chinese visitors has contributed to the rise of VIPs from mainland China who wanted to get away from President Xi Jinping’s corruption crackdown.