Cambodia Gambling Dens

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There is an interesting story to the Cambodia gambling dens that sit just across the border from neighboring Thailand, where casino gambling is against the law. Eight gambling dens are established in a generally tiny space in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia gambling halls is in a prime spot, a three to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two biggest gaming centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a thriving business with Thai laborers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The phenomenal income accrued from the gambling halls ranges from $7.5 million to more than twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a couple of restrictions constraints for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is assumed to be largely Thai; although, financial sources are cryptic. The borders are ceremoniously open from 09:00 to 1700, and though visas are supposedly required to pass, there are methods around this, as is true of many borders.

The original Cambodia gambling dens premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving just one gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary barge casino, features one hundred and fifty slot machines and 60 tables. The Naga casino never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat banque, 4 tables of twenty-one, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.

The original gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly opened. There are one hundred and fifty slot machine games and five table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machines and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains 300 slot machine games and 70 gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slots and ninety six gaming tables, including eighty seven baccarat banque (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 sixty six of the common table games, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the 8 gambling dens in Poipet, also a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and ninety seven casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an all-around resort and hotel building that features many conveniences accompanying the gambling hall, which houses ten thousand sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slot machines and 88 tables.