Cambodia Casinos
There is a fascinating history to the Cambodia gambling dens that sit just over the dividing line from next door Thailand, in which gambling den betting is illegal. Eight gambling dens are established in a relatively small location in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia casinos is in a prime location, a 3 to four hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest betting locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a thriving business with Thai laborers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The phenomenal capital acquired from the gambling dens ranges from 7.5 million dollars to over 12.5 million dollars, and there are a few controls requirements for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is assumed to be largely Thai; although, financing sources are cryptic. The borders are formally open from 9:00 a.m. to 17:00, and though visas are supposedly necessary to cross, there are means around this, as is correct of most border crossings.
The original Cambodia gambling halls premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving just a single casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked ship gambling den, features one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and sixty table games. The Naga casino never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat banque, 4 tables of vingt-et-un, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown soon opened. A total of one hundred and fifty slot machine games and five table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machines and sixty eight gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features three hundred slots and 70 tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slots and ninety six table games, including 87 baccarat (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machines and 66 of the familiar table games, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight casinos in Poipet, also a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machine games and 97 casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an all-inclusive resort and hotel compound that features numerous comforts accompanying the gambling hall, which contains 10,000 sq.ft. of 130 slots and 88 gaming tables.