Cambodia Casinos
There is an interesting history to the Cambodia gambling halls that reside just across the dividing line from neighboring Thailand, where gambling den betting is banned. Eight casinos are situated in a relatively small area in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia casinos is in an excellent area, a three to 4 hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the two biggest gaming locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai laborers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The phenomenal capital acquired from the casinos ranges from seven and a half million dollars to more than twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a few controls constraints for casino ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mainly Thai; although, funding sources are cryptic. The borders are ceremoniously open from 0900 to 17:00, and though visas are for all intents and purposes needed to pass, there are ways around this, as is correct of many borders.
The 1st Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving just 1 casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored bateau casino, contains one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and sixty tables. The Naga gambling hall is open all day and night with 42 tables of mini-baccarat banque, four tables of 21, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly opened. A total of 150 slot machines and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slots and sixty eight table games at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains three hundred slot machines and seventy gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and 96 table games, including eighty seven baccarat (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machine games 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 a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and 97 table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a comprehensive resort and hotel complex that highlights a number of amenities in addition to the casino, which offers 10,000 square feet of 130 slot machines and 88 tables.