Cambodia Casinos
There is an interesting history to the Cambodia casinos that sit just across the dividing line from next door Thailand, where gambling hall wagering is not permitted. Eight gambling halls are situated in a relatively tiny location in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia casinos is in an excellent area, a three to four hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest gaming locations in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai laborers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The amazing capital acquired from the gambling halls ranges from 7.5 million dollars to over 12.5 million dollars, and there are a number of controls requirements for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mainly Thai; although, financing sources are cryptic. The borders are formally open from 09:00 to 1700, and although visas are allegedly necessary to pass, there are means around this, as is correct of many borders.
The first Cambodia gambling halls opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving only one gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked bateau gambling hall, contains 150 one armed bandits and sixty tables. The Naga river boat is open all day and night with forty two tables of mini-punto banco, 4 tables of chemin de fer, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown soon opened. A total of one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slots and sixty eight gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights three hundred slots and seventy tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slots and ninety six gaming tables, including eighty seven punto banco (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five one armed bandits and 66 of the normal gaming tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, again a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 one armed bandits and ninety seven games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an all-around resort and hotel complex that contains a number of comforts aside from the gambling den, which offers ten thousand sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slots and eighty eight table games.