Cambodia Gambling Halls
There is a captivating background to the Cambodia gambling dens that lie just across the dividing line from neighboring Thailand, where casino wagering is not allowed. Eight gambling dens are based in a relatively small space in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling halls is in an excellent spot, a three to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest gaming centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The phenomenal income accrued from the gambling dens ranges from $7.5 million to over 12.5 million, and there are a few restrictions constraints for casino ownership. Ownership is required to be mostly Thai; although, financing sources are cryptic. The borders are formally open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and although visas are supposedly needed to cross, there are methods around this, as is correct of many borders.
The first Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in 1998, leaving only one gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored barge gambling den, contains 150 slot machines and sixty gaming tables. The Naga casino is open 24 hours with 42 tables of mini-baccarat, 4 tables of twenty-one, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly followed. There are 150 slots and five tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slots and sixty eight table games at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features three hundred slot machines and 70 tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slots and ninety six table games, including eighty seven baccarat chemin de fer (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machines and sixty six of the familiar table games, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the eight gambling halls in Poipet, also a part of a motel, 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 multinational vacation and hotel compound that highlights numerous conveniences in addition to the gambling hall, which provides 10,000 sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slot machines and eighty eight table games.