Cambodia Gambling Halls
There is a fascinating history to the Cambodia gambling dens that sit just over the dividing line from nearby Thailand, in which casino gambling is not legal. Eight casinos are established in a generally small location in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia casinos is in a prime location, a 3 to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two most popular gambling centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a thriving business with Thai workers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The amazing capital gained from the gambling halls ranges from seven and a half million dollars to over 12.5 million dollars, and there are a few limitations requirements for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mostly Thai; however, financing sources are cryptic. The borders are formally open from 09:00 to 1700, and despite the fact visas are apparently required to cross, there are methods and means around this, as is true of many border crossings.
The first Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving just a single gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored bateau gambling hall, features 150 slot machine games and 60 gaming tables. The Naga casino never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat banque, four tables of blackjack, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly opened. There are one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slots and sixty eight tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features three hundred slot machines and 70 tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and 96 table games, including 87 punto banco (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 one armed bandits and sixty six of the common table games, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, again a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and 97 casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a comprehensive vacation and hotel compound that highlights numerous amenities on top of the casino, which provides 10,000 square feet of 130 slot machine games and eighty eight tables.