South Koreans sentenced for online gambling in Cambodian court

Cambodian press reports Saturday noted the sentencing the previous day of 23 South Koreans charged with operating illegal online gambling enterprises in Phnom Penh, specifically taking bets on international football matches.

The defendants were each handed five month jail terms followed by immediate deportation by municipal judge Ly Sokleng, who named the ring leaders as Kim Young-soo, 34, and Han Doung-son, 36. Both men were given heavier 2 year sentences but the judge suspended all but five months of these.in order to match the terms awarded to their subordinates.

The ring leaders had earlier pleaded not guilty, claiming they had rented certain houses in order to set up an online shopping store and tourist agency, but admitted that they did not have any licensing.

However, police investigators produced evidence seized during their raids on the premises and linking the businesses to illegal online betting on football.

The illegal gambling ring was broken up following investigations by the police, aided by experts from the Telecommunications Ministry, and police raiding parties seized significant amounts of computer equipment and other evidence.

In related news, across the border in Thailand the police were also active, breaking up an online football betting ring and arresting 11 individuals, at the same time seizing computer equipment and other evidence.

Acting metropolitan police commissioner Pol Lt-Gen Sanit Mahathavorn said that the server for the online gambling website being used was abroad and the local operators are essentially brokers who get a 5 percent cut from the gambling revenues.

The ring had been operating around the clock with two shifts of 10 employees each for about four months and had two groups of customers totalling 3,200 punters, he revealed. The bets ranged from 50 to 10,000 baht.

Over in Malaysia, the national police released statistics showing that 14,946 people have been arrested for their involvement in illegal gambling – mainly online – between January and June this year.

Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said following raids conducted throughout this year, police seized a total of 49,539 computers being used as gambling machines.

“As of 2016, police have detained 14,946 individuals for gambling and seized 49,539 machines,” he tweeted Friday.