Cambodia Gambling Dens
There is an appealing background to the Cambodia gambling dens that sit just over the border from neighboring Thailand, where gambling den wagering is prohibited. Eight gambling halls are situated in a relatively small area in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia casinos is in an excellent area, a three to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 most popular gambling locations in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The astonishing capital acquired from the gambling dens ranges from 7.5 million dollars to over 12.5 million, and there are a few limitations constraints for casino ownership. Ownership is assumed to be mainly Thai; however, financing sources are cryptic. The borders are formally open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and despite the fact visas are allegedly required to cross, there are methods around this, as is true of many border crossings.
The 1st Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving just a single casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored barge gambling hall, features 150 slots and sixty tables. The Naga gambling hall is open all day and night with forty two tables of mini-punto banco, 4 tables of chemin de fer, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown soon opened. A total of one hundred and fifty slot machines and five table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four one armed bandits and sixty eight gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains 300 slot machine games and seventy table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 one armed bandits and ninety six table games, including eighty seven baccarat (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slots and sixty six of the familiar table games, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the 8 casinos in Poipet, again 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 part of an all-inclusive vacation and hotel complex that highlights a number of amenities in addition to the gambling hall, which offers 10,000 square feet of 130 slot machine games and 88 tables.