Korat Business Woman Brutally Murdered at Cambodia Casino Hotel

A"Jeh Hongyok" a well known transport business owner, money lender and millionaire from Nakornratchasima was murdered in a casino hotel room in Cambodia. The murderer stole 3 million THB; the victims winnings from the casino.

Cambodia, October 16, 2011(Pattaya Daily News)- Cambodian Police co-ordinated with the Thai police to send the corpse of Mrs.Chanatda or “Jeh Hongyok” Kasettheerakul age 47, the owner of a fleet of vans and money lender. Address: 234 Moo 15 Tambon Choomphuang, Amphur Choomphuang, Nakornratchasima province to Surin Center Hospital.

Mrs.Chanatda was murdered in the bathroom of the Royal Hill Resort Hotel & Casino in Cambodia opposite of Chong Jom-Orsamet Tambon Daan, Surin province. The murder took place in the evening of Saturday (October 15, 2011)

Thais flock to Cambodia on casino crackdown fears

BANGKOK, Sep 05, 2011 (The Straits Times) -- Gamblers fearful of a crackdown on illegal gambling dens in Bangkok have been making their way to Cambodian casinos over the past two days, the Bangkok Post reported yesterday.

Thais have been arriving by the busload at border checkpoints in Sa Kaeo and Surin provinces, seeking to cross into Cambodia. There are 10 casinos opposite Sa Kaeo, and two opposite Surin, the report said.

The exodus of gamblers comes on the heels of an announcement by Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung last week that he would get tough on more than 40 illicit casinos operating in central Bangkok.

Mr Chalerm's announcement in turn followed Rak Prathet Thai leader Chuwit Kamolvisit's revelation that senior police officers owned gambling dens in Bangkok. The lawmaker had showed a video clip in Parliament purportedly recorded at an illegal casino in the heart of the capital.

Gambling row getting hotter

5/09/2011
Bangkok Post Editorial

Thailand lost millions of baht on the weekend, as gamblers took their addictions and thrill-seeking to Cambodia. They were locked out of their usual haunts as Bangkok casinos suddenly disappeared in a cloud of rare law enforcement. The alternately entertaining and serious escapades of the Bangkok casinos has raised an old question: Should Thailand have legal casino gambling?

The answer has always been negative, by the government and by citizens. But times and circumstances change and the issue deserves a detailed and honest look.

Those who strongly favour legal casino gambling believe the answer is almost too simple to explain. Proponents stress that gambling happens even when illegal, that legalised betting can be more easily policed, that casinos attract tourists and that the government could substantially boost tax revenues.

Wary [Thai] gamblers let it roll over the border

4/09/2011
King-oua Laohong
Bangkok Post

Gamblers fearful of an announced crackdown on illegal gambling dens in Bangkok have been causing the cash registers to sing in Cambodian casinos over the past two days.

Thais have been arriving by the busload at border checkpoints in Sa Kaeo and Surin provinces, seeking to cross into Cambodia. There are 10 casinos opposite Sa Kaeo, and two opposite Surin.

The exodus of gamblers comes on the heels of an announcement by Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung on Thursday that he would get tough with more than 40 illicit casinos in central Bangkok.

Mr Chalerm's announcement followed Rak Thailand Party leader Chuvit Kamolvisit's airing of a video clip in parliament of a large casino in full operation on Ratchadaphisek Road.

A source at the border said the announced crackdown in Bangkok has resulted in a windfall for Cambodian casinos.

Dozens injured as Cambodian casino ceiling collapses

May 10, 2011
DPA

Phnom Penh - Thirty gamblers and staff at a Cambodian casino were injured over the weekend when a ceiling collapsed on them while workers were installing security cameras, national media reported Tuesday.

The accident took place Saturday evening at the Sunday Casino in the south-eastern province of Kampot near the border with Vietnam.

The Cambodia Daily newspaper said six Vietnamese gamblers and a Cambodian card dealer were critically injured.

The head of the border crossing, Phan Sophal, told the newspaper that around 100 customers and staff were on the casino floor at the time.

Hun Xen’s office denies granting authorization for a casino in Siem Reap: The price of the tea money was not right?

Bellus Angkor posted the above photos taken on 08 Aug 2008 where its stated: "Deputy Prime Minister of Cambodia, H.E. Sok An had a press interview with a reporter from Korean Maeil Business Newspaper. ICG also attended this event. DPM Sok An expressed strong support for ICG's project during the interview"

A plan view of the development touted by Bellus Angkor which clearly shows a "gaming center", ie "casino"

Click on the statement in Khmer to zoom in

Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy

Office of Hun Xen, Prime minister

To Mr. Kevin Doyle,
Editor-in-chief of The Cambodia Daily

Subject: Correction to The Cambodia Daily’s article titled: “Casino To Open Near Siem Reap” dated 30 July 2010

Dear Editor-in-chief!

The office of the prime minister denies completely the information published in your newspaper as stated on the subject above. I am informing you that, in the past, the Cambodian government never authorized any foreign or local company to open a casino within Siem Reap province, and in the meeting with the Intercity Group on 29 July 2010, the prime minister did not authorize Intercity Group to open a casino as reported in your newspaper. Therefore, the report is totally false.

Therefore, please be informed and make the necessary correction.

Please accept my deepest regards,

Phnom Penh, 30 July 2010

Cabinet chef

Ho Sithy

Huge Cambodian casino complex planned to lure Chinese

Thu Jul 29, 2010
By Prak Chan Thul

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - A South Korean real-estate developer is to build a $400 million integrated resort and casino in Cambodia to target the growing number of Chinese visitors to Southeast Asia and its burgeoning gambling sector.

The resort will be in Siem Reap province, 314 km (195 miles) northwest of the capital Phnom Penh, which attracts over a million tourists a year to its famed Angkor temples, James Cho, vice-president of Intercity Group, told Reuters in an interview.

Construction of the Water Park complex, with hotels, a gaming centre, shopping and convention centres and an 18-hole golf course, will start in October and it should open in early 2012.

Cho said it aimed in particular to draw visitors from other Asian countries, including Thais, Malaysians and Singaporeans.

But the Chinses are a big target clientele.

"They're visiting Singapore, they're visiting Southeast Asia, and we just think that right now it's a very good time, it's the right time. Asian gaming is hitting Cambodia right now," Cho said.

"With the Chinese, the increase in the middle class from China, Southeast Asia is a very good market. There is no visa restriction like they have in Macau," he said.

China has periodically placed restrictions on visits to Macau and its casinos by citizens from the mainland.

Tourism is Cambodia's second-biggest currency earner after its agricultural sector.

The government gained revenue of $19 million from its 29 casinos in 2008, according to Finance Ministry data. That fell to $17 million last year, squeezed by a drop in tourist arrivals and border tensions with neighbouring Thailand.

Thais are a vital part of Cambodia's casino industry. Most forms of gambling are forbidden in Thailand but thousands of Thais regularly visit massive casino complexes just over the border with Cambodia.

Cho said around 2.2 million tourists a year visited Cambodia and 1.3 million of them went to the temples in Siem Reap. The new resort was hoping to attract 60 to 70 percent of them.

NagaCorp, listed in Hong Kong, is currently the only casino operator in Cambodia, with a licence to run casinos within 200 km (124 miles) of Phnom Penh until 2065.

Cho said the Intercity Group casino would be the first sited away from country's borders, part of the Cambodian government's wider efforts to attract more tourists into the country.

"They're making it a very rare exception and allowing a resort with gaming to be built," he said.

(Editing by Alan Raybould)

South Korean Developer Courts Harrah's for Casino at Cambodia's Angkor Wat [-An insult on Angkor Wat?]

Thu Jul 29
By Daniel Ten Kate
Bloomberg

The tourist draw of Angkor Wat, the 12th century Hindu temple, an international airport and “tons” of incentives from the government, including corporate tax holidays and low gaming levies, will make the project viable, Cho said.

South Korean developer Intercity Group plans to start construction in October on a $400 million casino resort complex near Cambodia’s Angkor Wat temples that aims to draw high rollers from Macau and Singapore.

Harrah’s Entertainment Inc., the world’s biggest casino owner, and MGM Resorts International, the largest casino owner on the Las Vegas strip, are among potential investors to visit the site, James Cho, Intercity’s vice president, said in an interview yesterday. The first phase of the project, Cambodia’s largest casino to date, is set to finish in 2012, he said.

“All these big guys are interested in operation management deals,” said Cho, who holds a graduate degree from Columbia University. “We’re confident because the feasibility is there and gaming concessions in this region are so rare.”

Intercity is betting the casino complex, with an investment value equivalent to about 4 percent of Cambodia’s gross domestic product, will draw Asian gamblers looking for an alternative to more established gambling centers. Singapore opened Resorts World Sentosa in February and Marina Bay Sands in April, and Vietnam has approved a $4.2 billion casino set to open in 2013.

Raising funds may prove difficult in the current financial climate given the project’s scale, which is bigger than most casinos outside Singapore and Macau, said Sean Monaghan, an industry expert who formerly worked as a gaming analyst at Merrill Lynch & Co. Success may hinge on showing investors ties to junket operators in Thailand and China, he said.

“Even though Siem Reap sounds goods, most of the people that go there aren’t really casino players,” Singapore-based Monaghan said. “You have to have a very, very solid team to pull that financing off.”

Temples, Incentives

Yvette Monet, an MGM spokeswoman, and Jacqueline Peterson, a spokeswoman for Las Vegas-based Harrah’s, didn’t immediately respond to e-mails sent after regular office hours or answer calls to their mobile phones.

Intercity declined to reveal how much funding has been raised so far. The tourist draw of Angkor Wat, the 12th century Hindu temple, an international airport and “tons” of incentives from the government, including corporate tax holidays and low gaming levies, will make the project viable, Cho said.

“Not everybody’s going to gamble in Macau or Singapore,” Cho said. “Cambodia is family friendly and it’s cheaper.”

Hyung Joo Kim, Intercity’s chief executive officer, is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Hun Sen today in Phnom Penh, Cho said. He will be accompanied by several partners in the project, including Tobin Prior, a former executive with Kerzner International Ltd. who led the company’s bid for the Singapore concession in 2006 that was eventually awarded to Genting Bhd.

Golf Courses, Water Park

Cambodian government spokesman Phay Siphan referred questions to the country’s investment board. Sok Chenda, secretary-general of the Council for the Development of Cambodia, declined to comment on the project when reached by phone.

Intercity Group is a Seoul-based global real estate and investment firm founded in 1994, according to its website. It has developed $387 million worth of commercial and residential properties in South Korea, according to the site.

Intercity received a license to develop the Angkor casino in 2008, according to the website.

The Bellus Angkor Resort & City will feature the casino, three hotels, three golf courses and a water park. The 18-hole course will be designed by David McLay Kidd, who created the Bandon Dunes course in Oregon and Castle Course in St. Andrews, Scotland, Cho said.

Cambodia attracted 2.2 million tourists last year, with about 580,000 flying directly into Siem Reap, according to government statistics. The resort will be located about 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) north of Angkor, about a 30-minute drive from the airport, Cho said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Daniel Ten Kate in Bangkok at dtenkate@bloomberg.net

To see Angkor and ... gamble at Harrah's Angkor Casino? If only King Suryavarman II knew about this aberration

Big Las Vegas Developers Sought For New Cambodia Casino

July 29, 2010
Posted By April Gardner
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com

To build a successful casino that can compete with the top casinos in Asia, name recognition is needed. For a South Korean developer, that means going after some of the biggest gaming operators based in Las Vegas.

Intercity Group has plans of building a $400 million casino in Cambodia, and the company is looking for potential investors. Two of those investors are MGM Resorts International and Harrah's Entertainment, two gaming giants.

MGM has plenty of experience in Asia with casino properties in the biggest gaming destination in the world, Macau. Harrah's has no presence in Asia, and a casino in Cambodia would give the company a way to compete with Macau casinos.

Intercity is pinning their hopes of success on the cheaper area of Cambodia. The company's Vice-President, James Cho, believes that some gamblers will want to stay away from the big lights of the casinos in Macau and Singapore. The casino plan for Cambodia, if carried out, would make the property the biggest casino outside of Macau and Singapore.

The casino project will be massive, with three hotels, a water park, and three golf courses planned. While Cambodia may be cheaper than the other Asian areas, there will be nothing cheap about visiting the Bellus Angkor Resort & City. World class golf course developer David McLay Kidd will develop the courses.

The credit market has still not fully recovered from the global economic recession. Finding funding for the project may prove to be difficult for the Intercity Group. Currently, the company has not revealed how much of the $400 million they have already secured.

Cambodia to launch $100 million casino complex

Kith Meng

By Prak Chan Thul

PHNOM PENH Feb 16 (Reuters) - A Cambodian tycoon will launch a $100 million casino near the country's border with Vietnam this month to attract foreign tourists and develop the country's fast-growing entertainment industry.

The Titan King Casino will open its doors on Feb. 26 in Bavet, a town in Svay Rieng province, about 120 km (75 miles) from Phnom Penh, covering 2.5 hectares of land and employing some 6,000 people, its owner, Kith Thieng, told Reuters on Tuesday.

Kith Thieng, whose business interests include hotels, fast food restaurants, a mobile phone operator and stakes in a bank and television station, said he wanted to help Cambodia's entertainment sector rebound after the global economic crisis.

"Most gamblers will be Vietnamese but my goal is also to attract people from other countries," he said. "I want to promote the fact that Cambodia has enough places for entertainment."

Tourism is the impoverished country's second-biggest earner after its agriculture sector.

Cambodia generated revenues of $19 million from its 29 casinos in 2008, according to Finance Ministry data.

That fell to $17 million last year, with the decline attributed to a fall in tourist arrivals and rising border tensions with neighbouring Thailand.

Thais are a vital part of Cambodia's casino industry. Most forms of gambling are forbidden in Thailand, but thousands of Thais regularly visit massive casino complexes located along their shared border.

In a posting on the new casino's website (titankingcasino.com), Kith Thieng said Bavet was fast becoming a regional centre for entertainment "much like Las Vegas and Macau".

Hear Sopheaktra, an assistant to Kith Thieng, said the casino would list on the Cambodian stock market, which was due to open later this year.

NagaCorp, is currently the only casino operator in Cambodia, with a licence to run any number of casinos within 200 km (124 miles) of Phnom Penh until 2065.

The company said last week it expected revenue in 2010 to grow by 30 percent as the global economy recovers, and forecast future growth would be driven by a surge in Chinese visitors.

(Editing by Martin Petty)

Wild, Wild East: Gambling and Buddhism co-exist in harmony in Pailin

A Cambodian boy walks past a casino sign behind Buddhist statues at the border town in Pailin, a former Khmer Rouge stronghold in northwestern Cambodia, Monday, Jan. 14, 2008. The casino is one of several on the border town that are frequented by mostly gamblers from Thailand, where casinos are banned. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

US investor lobbies for a $2 billion resort-casino on occupied Khmer Koh Tral Island

09/10/2007
Keeping cautious with casinos

VietNamNet Bridge – Local authorities have received a lot of proposals from investors to develop casinos on their several-billion-dollar resorts. However, the government of Vietnam maintains its consistent standpoint that it does not encourage casino business.

All big projects want casinos

Earlier this year, the HCM City People’s Committee, at a conference discussing issues to develop the city’s tourism, mentioned a plan to call for investment into an entertainment-tourism complex on Binh Quoi-Thanh Da peninsula in Binh Thanh district, which was designed to consist of a hotel, restaurant, water-based entertainment areas, and casino.

In Dong Thap province, the Thai Binh Hotel and Housing Development Company Ltd is also planning to invest in a hotel-casino complex at the Dinh Ba international border gate.

Binh Thuan provincial authorities have received a proposal from Cascadia Home Products Asia Ltd on building and developing a high-grade resort, which consists of a casino in Cu Lao Cau, Tuy Phong district.

Meanwhile, investment brokers say that many foreign investors have sent word, expressing their desire to make investment in big tourism-entertainment complexes, which include casinos. Big entertainment service groups in the world always consider casinos as a main investment item in their projects, in order to attract rich clients, develop luxury services and maximise profit.

An investor from the US is trying to lobby for a project on a $2bil resort with a casino on Phu Quoc Island. Another investor, through an investment promotion company, is planning to develop a high-grade tourism project at the Lao Bao-Quang Tri border gate, which is expected to cost $3bil, including the expenses for a casino.

The Cai Gia-Cat Ba urban area, which has called for investment recently, is also catching the eyes of several investors, who are seeking to develop tourism projects with casinos.

To all these proposals, the government has given only one answer: the building and development of casinos must be implemented in accordance with Notice No 96 dated May 4, 2007 by the Government Office. The notice says that Vietnam will consider granting licences to build casinos in tourism-entertainment complexes which have the investment capital of $4bil and higher.

Casino jackpot and gambling are currently listed as ‘sensitive projects’ which are not encouraged in Vietnam. Casino development has been carried out on a trial basis so far, and casinos all are located in isolated areas and reserved for foreigners only.

Keeping cautious with building up policies

In fact, Vietnam does not have any legal documents on casino operations. The licencing of casino projects has been implemented in individual cases and decided upon by the Prime Minister. Currently, gambling business management is being carried out in accordance with Decision No 32/2003 dated February 27, 2003. However, the decision is being amended and stricter regulations will be set up.

There are now four operational casinos in Vietnam, one in Hai Phong, two in Quang Ninh (Loi Lai and Hoang Gia), and one in Lao Cai. The four all are small scale and are open to foreigners only. Licences on gambling business have been granted to several hotels, while licences on horse and dog betting have been given to projects in HCM City and Vung Tau.

As requested by the government, the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) is compiling a project on casino development and management and amending Decision No 32/2003 dated February 27, 2003. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) has been assigned to compile the project on betting business development and management.

The first draft of casino project has been submitted to the government for consideration. The completed version of the draft will be submitted again to the government, which will then be submitted to the Communist Party’s Politburo.

MPI and MOF both said that the government kept a skeptical viewpoint on the issue, which is considered very sensitive. Casino development will only be allowed when casinos are located in isolated areas, and open only for foreigners for easier control.

Regarding the project on betting games, MOF plans to submit it to the government in the fourth quarter of the year. The ministry said that it had to thoroughly consider the possible impact of the project, especially the social impacts. In all cases, the government will maintain very tight control over gambling activities.

Online casino giant enters Cambodian market, what will be the revenue for the Cambodian gov't?

Online Casino Giant PacificNet Enters Into Cambodian Market

September 25, 2007
Staff Editor,
CasinoGamblingWeb.com

PactGames, which is a subsidiary of PacificNet, Inc. and they have signed a revenue sharing agreement with a leading gaming operator to put their products into several areas of the Cambodian market.

The products include virtual baccarat, fish prawn grab, card games bingo, poker, live gaming, online virtual casino, slot, land based kiosk networks, mobile gaming, and fixed odds games.

Those games are also accompanied by a management system that makes it easy for operators to control these games, as well as user accounts of people who are playing the games.

The Asian market is a huge one for PacificNet, who has over 300 engineers working on new technology, plus, more than 1200 other personnel in Asia.

Victor Tong, President of PacificNet had this to say about the advancement of his company overseas, "We are pleased to enter the Cambodian market which we feel has much potential in terms of returns."

Perhaps he was speaking of the fact that Cambodia has only allowed gaming for less then a decade now, and the industry has taken off in those few years. There is also major casino projects being planned for the area, a reason that PacificNet wants to get there now, so when the expansion is completed, they will have the inside track on the business.

The current agreement calls for PactGames to be placed in several cities in Cambodia including, Bavet, PoiPet, Phnom Penh right now, and Laos, Vietnam, and Myanmar, next year.