Amnesty International Links Licensed Cambodian Casinos to Systematic Cybercrime and Human Rights Abuses

New evidence links 12 licensed Cambodian casinos to human trafficking and torture, contradicting government claims of a crackdown on online scam compounds.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 6, 2026, 10:47 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from iGaming Business

The Shadow Behind the License

Human rights investigators have uncovered a disturbing connection between Cambodia’s legal gambling framework and a violent subterranean scamming industry. According to a report published by Amnesty International on Thursday, the Cambodian government recently granted or maintained licenses for approximately a dozen casinos that function as fronts for criminal compounds. These facilities, ostensibly designed for entertainment, are allegedly centers for "pig butchering" scams, where victims are coerced through digital romance and fraudulent cryptocurrency schemes to surrender vast sums of money.

Evidence of Systemic Physical Abuse

The findings presented by Amnesty International are corroborated by official licensing documents from Cambodia’s Commercial Gambling Management Commission (CGMC). These records reveal that licensed casino owners exercise direct control over at least 12 specific sites where investigators documented severe human rights abuses, including child labor, forced labor, and torture. Survivors of these compounds provided testimony describing being held against their will on casino properties, confirming that the physical infrastructure of the legal gaming industry is being utilized to house and exploit trafficked workers.

Political Ties and the Anco Brothers

Central to the allegations are three casinos owned by Kok An, a prominent Sino-Cambodian businessman and politician. An, who heads the Phnom Penh-based conglomerate Anco Brothers Co Ltd, is described as a close associate of Senate President Hun Sen. The presence of high-profile political figures in the ownership structures of these facilities suggests a profound overlap between the state’s commercial interests and the criminal enterprises operating within them. Most of these locations are concentrated in the coastal hub of Sihanoukville and border towns like Poipet, strategically positioned to attract international patrons.