PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA – Five years ago, Chinese investors began turning Sihanoukville, a sleepy coastal city with pristine beaches, into a gambling mecca rivaling Macao and Las Vegas, but that ended with a ban on online gambling and the COVID-19 pandemic.
More than 200,000 Chinese workers had to return home.
Casinos closed and partially built skyscrapers, resorts and condominium projects were left abandoned.