Cambodia Gambling Halls
There is an interesting history to the Cambodia casinos that reside just over the border from nearby Thailand, where gambling hall gaming is not legal. Eight gambling dens are established in a generally tiny location in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia gambling dens is in a perfect location, a 3 to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 biggest gambling locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The astonishing income accrued from the gambling dens ranges from $7.5 million to over twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a number of limitations requirements for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is required to be mostly Thai; although, financial sources are ambiguous. The borders are formally open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and even though visas are apparently needed to cross, there are ways around this, as is true of many borders.
The original Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving just a single casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored boat gambling den, features 150 slot machines and 60 gaming tables. The Naga river boat never closes with forty two tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, 4 tables of vingt-et-un, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon opened. There are 150 slot machine games and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machine games and sixty eight tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features 300 slots and seventy tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slots and ninety six table games, including eighty seven baccarat banque (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five one armed bandits and sixty six of the common gaming tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the eight casinos in Poipet, again in a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and 97 games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a multinational resort and hotel complex that contains many conveniences accompanying the casino, which contains 10,000 square feet of one hundred and thirty slots and 88 table games.