PHNOM PENH, March 14 (Xinhua) -- The Cambodian government collected a total of 48 million U.S. dollars in taxes from the casino industry last year, a rise of about 40 percent compared with 2015, the Khmer Times reported Tuesday, citing a finance official.
Ros Phearun, a deputy director-general of the Finance Ministry's financial industry department, said that along with an effort by the government to improve tax revenue, the casino industry also has been contributing to extra revenue.
He said the government and NagaWorld casino in Phnom Penh had agreed on additional payments for non-gaming activities. This led to a big increase in tax revenue from the industry.
"Now, we have got more from NagaWorld since they complied with our requirement to pay on non-gaming revenue," he was quoted as saying by the newspaper.
NagaWorld recorded a modest 4 percent increase in gross gaming revenue (GGR) last year, bringing the figure up to 500.8 million U.S. dollars.
The company's net profit rose by 7 percent in 2016 to 184.2 million U.S. dollars.
According to the Finance Ministry, some 65 casinos are in operation in Cambodia. Many of them are near the borders of Thailand and Vietnam.
The Southeast Asian country grants licenses to casinos in a bid to help attract foreign tourists. Under the kingdom's law, only foreigners are allowed to gamble in casinos.
