Stakes too high

Photo by: Sovan Philong
A casino worker passes the Winn casino in early 2009

via CAAI

Tuesday, 28 September 2010 17:16 Vong Sokheng and Soeun Say

All bets are off at Winn Casino in Svay Rieng province after its bankruptcy was announced to provincial police authorities, leaving 300 workers jobless.

Officials said Winn was the first casino casualty in the border town of Bavet, after the global economic crisis led to a decline in visiting gamblers.

With some 14 casinos in operation in the town, which lies close to the Vietnamese border, Winn was shuttered due to a drop in custom, according to Svay Rieng provincial police chief Prach Rim.

Laid-off employees were promised compensation from the owner as mandated by labour laws, he said.

Gambling in Cambodia is restricted to holders of foreign passports.

“We have deployed police officials to keep guard at the casino, but so far there has been no information regarding a protest from employees,” he said.

“The local authorities welcome the casino’s closing because it will cut down on security complaints, but we are not happy that hundreds of Cambodian people have lost their jobs.” ...read the full story in tomorrow’s Phnom Penh Post or see the updated story online from 3PM UTC/GMT +7 hours.