Cambodia Casinos
There is an interesting history to the Cambodia gambling halls that sit just across the dividing line from next door Thailand, where gambling den wagering is against the law. Eight gambling halls are anchored in a relatively small location in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia casinos is in a perfect spot, a three to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the two biggest wagering locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The astonishing income gained from the casinos ranges from $7.5 million to more than 12.5 million dollars, and there are a couple of controls requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mainly Thai; still, investment sources are vague. The borders are formally open from 9:00 a.m. to 17:00, and though visas are allegedly required to pass, there are means around this, as is real of most border crossings.
The first Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving only a single casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary boat gambling den, contains 150 slot machine games and sixty tables. The Naga gambling den is open 24 hours with 42 tables of mini-baccarat, 4 tables of chemin de fer, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The 1st gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown quickly opened. 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 latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights 300 slots and seventy table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and ninety six gaming tables, including 87 baccarat (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five one armed bandits and sixty six of the common table games, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight casinos in Poipet, again a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 one armed bandits and 97 table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an international resort and hotel building that highlights many luxuries aside from the gambling hall, which has ten thousand sq.ft. of 130 slot machines and eighty eight gaming tables.