Cambodia Gambling Halls
There is an interesting story to the Cambodia casinos that sit just across the border from next door Thailand, where gambling den gaming is banned. Eight casinos are established in a generally tiny area in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia casinos is in an excellent area, a three to four hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 most popular wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The astonishing income gained from the gambling dens ranges from 7.5 million dollars to over 12.5 million, and there are a couple of controls requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is required to be mostly Thai; although, investment sources are cryptic. The borders are officially open from 0900 to 5:00 p.m., and even though visas are supposedly necessary to cross, there are ways around this, as is true of many borders.
The 1st Cambodia gambling dens premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in 1998, leaving just 1 casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary bateau gambling hall, features one hundred and fifty slots and sixty table games. The Naga river boat never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat banque, four tables of 21, 10 of roulette, two 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 the late nineties and the Golden Crown quickly followed. A total of 150 one armed bandits and five table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slots and sixty eight gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights three hundred slot machines and seventy tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machine games and 96 gaming tables, including 87 baccarat (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machine games and 66 of the familiar table games, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight gambling halls in Poipet, also in a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and 97 games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-around resort and hotel complex that contains many comforts in addition to the gambling den, which houses ten thousand square feet of one hundred and thirty one armed bandits and 88 tables.