Background
Sand Palace Casino received a casino licence in 2022. According to a 2023 report on Poipet’s online gambling industry by Voice of Democracy, it ‘has casino tables and electronic slot machines on its ground floor on threadbare carpet, and staff who say that “online” is upstairs’.
Sand Palace has advertised office space for rent in English, Khmer, Chinese, Thai, and Indonesian languages.
It has also posted ads for office space rental that state the location has dedicated internet access (DIA) for Thailand, Indonesia, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, USA, Japan, and Vietnam. DIA is premium internet service that provides businesses with a private connection that is not shared with other customers, guaranteeing enhanced reliability and security.
Various Poipet property agents advertise office space for rent at Sand Palace. Photos included in the posts show that it has offices set up for online work. Some posts are in Bahasa Indonesian (a large number of Indonesian online gambling and scam operations are known to be based in Poipet). Ads mention the existence of a casino licence and ‘100% safety’.
The Sand Palace logo appeared on the banner of the (now offline) Facebook page for Office Poipet, which advertises online office space for rent in the city. It appeared alongside the logos of other properties that are involved in online activities. Posts on the Office Poipet page explicitly targeted ‘online’ renters, and offered direct internet access (DIA).
Other Information
Sand Palace Casino and its executives have made various charitable donations to state institutions in Poipet City, especially during the Covid pandemic. This included donations to the city’s military police.
Which Actors and Companies Have Been Linked to Sand Palace Casino?
The company S.U.G. (Cambodia) Trading Co., Ltd. was granted a temporary casino license for Sand Palace in December 2022. The casino is no longer pinned on the gambling commission’s website, suggesting the license may have expired.
S.U.G. is chaired by Cambodian national Bun Rithychay. Five other people previously held executive positions at S.U.G., four Cambodian and one Malaysian.
Former chair Chhun Chansopheak is also director at the company Four Star Plus Four Co., Ltd., which owns another casino linked to online activities called Star Gold Casino & Hotel (profiled here).
One director who stood down in September 2023 is Leng Thiden, the wife of General Bun Nam Eang, Deputy Commander of Banteay Meanchey Province military police. In 2019, General Bun Nam Eang was involved in raids targeting two locations in Poipet that were hosting illegal online gambling and led to the arrest of 50 Chinese nationals. Leng Thiden was also a director at W.E. Development Co., Ltd. until December 2019. W.E. Development holds a casino license for Diamond City Casino & Hotel (see profile here).
An ex-director who stepped down in 2019, Seng Sreyleak, is currently a director at Family World Palace Co., Ltd., which holds a casino licence for LPP Sky Casino, which also hosts online operations (see profile here).
Another former director who stepped down in 2019 is Malaysian Voon Shao Chong. In December 2020, Thai police in the border province of Sa Kaeo raided an online gambling operation and seized property, including a car registered to a Malaysian national with the same name.
There is no evidence indicating that S.U.G. (Cambodia) Trading Co., Ltd. or individuals connected to the company are directly involved in online criminal activity, but there is ample evidence to indicate that space inside the property is at least being provided to those who are.
Location of Sand Palace Casino
Sand Palace Casino in the News
2023
5 January: Mech Dara and Michael Dickison, ‘Residents Say “Online” Has Taken Over Poipet Accommodations’, Voice of Democracy. Link (archived).
Note: If any links are down or blocked, they may be available on the Wayback Machine.
