Cambodian officials say long awaited gambling law revisions won’t increase casino taxes but the country’s biggest casino operator isn’t so sure.

On Wednesday, Ros Phearun, deputy director of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, told reporters that the both his ministry and the Ministry of the Interior had vetted the government’s new casino bill. A joint working group from the two ministries is said to be considering a timeline for the bill’s submission to the cabinet and the Council of Ministers.

For the record, Phearun’s declaration that the gaming bill is nearing the finish line has become something of an annual exercise, always with the promise that victory could be declared by year’s end.

Phearun acknowledged that the delays have deterred unidentified international casino operators in Macau and Las Vegas from taking a serious look at the Cambodian market. The government recently announced plans to boost international tourist levels to 7.5m visitors per yea – 2m from China – and casinos will play a major role in making these plans a reality.