Cambodia Gambling Dens
There is an interesting history to the Cambodia casinos that reside just across the border from next door Thailand, in which gambling hall gaming is banned. Eight gambling halls are anchored in a relatively tiny space in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia casinos is in a prime area, a 3 to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 largest gaming locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The astonishing income gained from the gambling halls ranges from seven and a half million dollars to more than twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a number of limitations constraints for casino ownership. Ownership is presumed to be largely Thai; still, financial sources are cryptic. The borders are officially open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and despite the fact visas are apparently needed to pass, there are ways around this, as is correct of most borders.
The initial Cambodia gambling halls opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving only one gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary boat casino, contains 150 one armed bandits and sixty tables. The Naga casino is open 24 hours with 42 tables of mini-punto banco, 4 tables of blackjack, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The original casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon opened. There are one hundred and fifty slot machines and five table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slots and 68 table games at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights 300 slots 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 baccarat banque (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machine games and 66 of the normal tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the eight gambling halls in Poipet, again a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machines and ninety seven casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a comprehensive resort and hotel compound that features a number of comforts aside from the gambling den, which offers 10,000 sq.ft. of 130 slot machine games and 88 gaming tables.