The siren call of Cambodia’s cockpits

Chrey Thum Cockpit in Cambodia’s Kandal Province Eternal optimists from the Mekong Delta are spellbound by the cash-draining cockfights across the border.

Rice farmer Hai from Kien Giang Province declared he would quit gambling for good after selling some land to finance his expeditions to the notorious cockfights just across the Cambodian border. Hai’s vow might have sounded more genuine had he not been standing by the cockpits of the Golden Stone Casino in Cambodia’s Ta Keo Province having just lost more money. He is just one of many Vietnamese people from the Mekong Delta who burn through fat wads of cash at the Cambodian cockfighting arenas. Cockfighting is a tradition in Vietnam but it is illegal to bet on the bloodsport, so the desperadoes patronize places like the Golden Stone, which is less than five kilometers from Chau Doc in An Giang Province and takes any bet no matter how big or small. A cockfight at the Golden Stone Casino in Cambodia Thanh Nien visited the Golden Stone last week to find it crowded with hundreds of gamblers, and it was a weekday. On any one day there can be up to 70 cockfights. The unwritten law A single bet can be anywhere from VND5 million (US$281) to VND50 million, depending on the pit. Nothing’s written down as there are plenty of beefy minders around to make sure everyone ponies up after a fight is over. A cockfight ends when one of the two cocks dies or collapses and is unable to continue. If both fall down, the winner is the one that gets back up first. And if they both stay down, the referee makes the final decision and announces the winner. It’s not uncommon for cock owners to collude in fight fixing by quietly injuring one of the two birds beforehand. At the Golden Stone, the fine for this offence is VND20 million. Born losers A retailer of plant chemicals in Long Xuyen Town said he had quit the high rollers’ pit at the Golden Stone after losing VND50 million, and tried a cheaper pit. When he lost again, he quarreled with the bookie and claimed he’d never placed the bet. He soon changed his mind when a heavy-set thug appeared on the scene to “arbitrate.” Rooster owners can also bet, but they lose double if their bird goes down. A farmer from Kien Giang said he had taken along three fighting cocks and lost all his money betting on them. “It was my last time. I will quit gambling,” he too declared after fessing up that his family had intended to use the money to build a house for rent in Binh Duong Province. A retired bookie who had plied his trade at several cockpits in Cambodia said he used to make big money from the betting and the commissions from successful gamblers he had advised. Yet he eventually returned to Vietnam almost penniless after failing to collect the debts owed by regular casino patrons, many of them formerly wealthy people from his neck of the woods. Nowadays he makes some pocket money by advising cock buyers looking for the best birds, but otherwise is no longer involved in the sport. When asked if anyone got rich from cockfighting, he answered, “Only the owners of the cockpits.” Reported by Tien Trinh