There was a major police sweep in Sihanoukville yesterday, with officers moving in to bust "Mr. Tang," widely known as the city's biggest illegal lottery kingpin. He is currently being held at the police station for questioning and will face prosecution soon.
To be honest, locals and neighbors have grown used to the underground lotteries and gambling. It used to be common to see people huddled together buying numbers right downstairs from apartment buildings or at roadside grocery stalls. While the authorities have tightened up over the last few years, operators have kept finding ways to run things on the sly.
According to local media, police aren't just stopping with Tang. They are planning a full sweep of all the surrounding illegal lotteries, online cockfighting, and other shady gambling rings. Local tuk-tuk and moto drivers say they’ve definitely noticed a lot more police patrol cars rolling through the streets at night lately.
