Cambodia Gambling Dens
There is a fascinating history to the Cambodia gambling halls that lie just across the border from next door Thailand, where gambling hall gambling is against the law. Eight casinos are established in a generally small location in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling halls is in a perfect area, a three to four hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 biggest wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The phenomenal income accrued from the gambling halls ranges from $7.5 million to more than 12.5 million, and there are a couple of controls requirements for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is presumed to be largely Thai; however, funding sources are vague. The borders are ceremoniously open from 0900 to 17:00, and although visas are apparently needed to pass, there are methods around this, as is real of most borders.
The original Cambodia gambling dens opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving just one gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked bateau casino, features 150 one armed bandits and 60 tables. The Naga casino never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, 4 tables of 21, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon followed. There are one hundred and fifty slots and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machines and 68 gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights 300 slot machine games and 70 table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and 96 gaming tables, including 87 punto banco (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slots and sixty six of the normal table games, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the 8 gambling halls in Poipet, again in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slots and 97 table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a comprehensive resort and hotel compound that highlights numerous amenities accompanying the gambling den, which provides ten thousand square feet of 130 one armed bandits and 88 table games.